Reanimate Me
by Fanimation Danimation
Summary: We grew from strangers, to friends, then lovers. It was such an unbreakable bond. Innocent grins under the sun and passionate love under the moon. Our asylum in each others arms. We promised to never let ShinRa tear us apart. Yet, here we stood now. On opposite sides. Fighting as enemies. "Sephiroth," he sneered, Fusion ready to strike. "Cloud," the soft voice cold as winter.
1. Best Kept Secret

**A/N: A NEW STORY! I couldn't help myself, this idea just wouldn't leave me alone. Seriously, it wouldn't. I think it's stalking me *Glances around***

**WARNING: Even though this is rated: M, some of you still need to be told this - Course language, Possible Lemons, Limes, YAOI, Violence/Gore. This story is more _saucy_ than my others, so expect to see some _things_ :D :D :D**

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned the Final Series, I'd make Final Fantasy 7 into a live action trilogy. Hmm, naked Sephiroth... *COUGH* But I don't, so jump off my fireball.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Best Kept Secret**

* * *

Creamy lips kissed up his neck, leaving crimson prints behind. He emitted necessary moans at the correct moment. Willing himself to stay aroused during the tedious process. "You've been a naughty boy, haven't you?" The sultry voice whispered, followed by a line of lewd words that would make a priest turn pink. Replying in a breathless voice, he rocked his hips into the manicured hand that rubbed at his crotch. Nipping at his earlobe, "Then you need to be punished." Fighting back the wince as her hand suddenly squeezed him tight, he swamped the hiss of pain, for a groan of pleasure.

Gaia, he hated this woman. It was unfortunate that she was a VIP member, because he would have tore her a new one if not. Scarlet was his current customer's name. Employed by tycoon company; ShinRa Inc. She was from high society, the wealthy and civilized population. Too sophisticated for the underprivileged and scum of the world. Yet, here she was in sin city, where the unrighteous souls played. Midgar Slums; Red Light District.

He'd seen her type come in multiple times. High powered figure heads, judges, pastors, lawyers, et cetera. They were all people who sneered down their noses at people like him. They protested and demanded those like him to be removed. Locked in cages. They were also the ones who crawled down here, disguised in their hats, shades, and trench coats. Here, they could be themselves, display behavior that would result in them being shunned if shown anywhere else. He pitied them. He could only imagine how stifling it must be, to have to hide their real selves. Then again, he hope they suffocated. Dropping dead in their different shades of masks they hid behind.

Scarlet was a dominatrix. Not too surprising given her aggressive personality. Every Friday, she would visit with a new idea, a new way to make him hate her guts. Whips. Spiked heels. Chains. Handcuffs. Leather straps. Paddles. The woman was a professional freak, with an outrageous sexual appetite. Though with her many cons, she had one pro, and that was the amount of gil she paid.

It was depressing how he never was able to hold onto the large sum of cash. There were people that needed to be paid off. Like the owner of the establishment; Sweet&Sour. The man called himself Mickey Mouse, it seemed perverted in a way, especially with how serpentine he looked. Being underage and working at a Host Bar was illegal, even in dirt poor Slums. In order to keep the man from tossing him out, he paid to secure his spot here. Two thousand big ones each month. None of the women-disturbingly-had a problem soliciting sex from a minor. In fact, his age was the main attraction, after his exotic looks.

Plump lips wrapped around him, sucking at the tip of his member. He didn't have to fake a moan then. Sure he detested the woman, but her mouth was a different matter. This was their routine. She'd sashay into the room, wearing nothing but lingerie behind her coat. They'd talk, have a few drinks, then the foreplay would begin. After a mouthful of dirty sentences and questions, the blonde would proceed to give him oral. What came next, was what he hated.

Misfortune must have been off tonight, because as her hand moved to her _goody-bag_, the pager she took in place of her PHS went off. Her displeasure at the interruption was clear. Very crystal. Relief soothed over his tensed muscles. He made sure not to look happy, as he listened to her hissed complaints.

"That incompetent slob," sighing sharply, she glanced at him, not bothering to fall back into her seductive role. "Next Friday," was her next cold words. Slapping gil down on the table, rattling the unfinished drinks, she snapped to a stand. Straightening her appearance, she threw him one last glance, before stomping out the room.

It was then, now that he was free of that man-eater, did he release the breath he was holding. Reaching for his payment, an instant frown fell over his face. Counting the gil. There was only five thousand, half of what she usually paid him. Temptation told him to chase after the blonde harpy, but after the consequences for doing so flashed through him, he aborted the dangerous mission. Slouching back into the leather couch, he stared at one of the maroon walls.

The end of the month was almost here.

He had wisely stashed some of his earnings up for rainy days and for a better future. Paying Mickey Mouse wasn't the problem. Don Corneo was. He needed _stuff_ from the obese man and that _stuff_ didn't come cheap. The idea of dipping into his savings rubbed his skin raw. There was an alternative, but he'd rather eat glass.

Two knocks sounded against the door.

"Sephiroth, you still in there?" When he said nothing, the door opened. "Kid, shifts over, get out." It was Mickey Mouse.

Blinking once. He collected his things, shoving the gil deep into his front pockets, leaving his hand there. Pocket pickers were always next to you, with his less than usual payment, he wasn't about to take any chances. Not bothering to speak his farewells to the lanky raven, he exited the room, heading straight for the door that led to the outside world. Nodding toward those who greeted him. Some called him over, but he ignored their offers. Friends were a myth in the Slums. The well-known rule was: Every man for themselves. Once you start losing sight of that one rule, you opened yourself up to drama, problems, and death.

In his charcoal suit, he ventured through sin city. Looking utterly ravished. A natural look he went for, one that went excellent with his features. Coat lazed open, revealing his white dress shirt, with two of its buttons undone at the top and three at the bottom. The lower edge of his belly button teased the eyes that glimpsed at him. The button on his hip riding pants popped ages ago, having no mending skills, he left it like that. His zipper and a thin chain loosely pulled through the belt loops were the only things holding them up. Worn black dress shoes strolled along the dirty grounds.

He was told on various occasions that he was a wet dream come to life. Sephiroth didn't take that as a compliment. Slender, yet athletically toned. He wanted to appear intimidating, not like a porn star.

Pushing strands from his layered, chest length bangs out of his eyes. Chartreuses scouted the area for men and woman in exclusive ShinRa armor. He didn't fear the men and women, so much as the equipment they were wielding.

_Readers_.

It's what the Slum people called the fancy piece of technology. It had the ability to read a person's heat signature, pulse rate, red cells, and DNA. If you had nothing to hide, you had nothing to fear. But, if you did... Walking at an unsuspicious pace, he watched from his peripheral vision as the ShinRa advocates held the Readers over peoples faces, while a red horizontal beam waved up and down their eyes. With each beep and quick checking of the screen, they pushed the person aside, moving onto the next.

Nearing a corner, he was about to turn.

"Hey, you!"

Keeping his shoulders from tensing, he peered over his shoulder. He couldn't stop the color draining from his face as an armor clad woman jogged over. Pivoting slowly, he studied her with caution. Noticing his distress, she offered up a smile. One he didn't bother returning.

"If you would stay still for a bit," he noted the neutral tone in the woman's voice. She wiggled the device in her hand, entering his personal space. They always came friendly. Smiles and inviting eyes. A trick to lure you in.

Obediently Sephiroth did as he was told.

For a single second, as the Reader was placed over his eyes, and his vision exploded into a red glare. His heart stopped. The device beeped. Checking the screen, the woman glanced back at him. Face devoid of emotion. It made his pulse increase in speed. He'd be able to outrun the woman, but once a swarm of her comrades entered the chase, there would be no escape. Wiping a sweaty palm against his leg, he tried not to frown. What was she waiting for?

As she opened her mouth to judge his fate, commotion broke out behind them. They both turned. A woman donning a tattered dress cried curses and pleads, as three men dressed in armor tossed an elderly man to the ground. Each pointing standard issued rifles at the trembling elder. One of the men spoke into an intercom located around the wrist. His words were hushed, too low to be heard. Whatever orders given to the men, made the wailing woman charge at them.

"Please don't do this! He hasn't hurt anyone! Spare him! Spare him!"

A brush of a hand against his arm startled the teen. Ready to crush the ShinRa woman's windpipe, he halted at the sight of her sadden smile. "You're clean," patting his shoulder, almost as to say congratulations. "If you notice anything suspicious, please contact ShinRa." With that as her parting words, she turned to head over to the group behind them.

Not wanting to stick around any longer. He was turning the corner when a resounding '_bang'_ lit the air. Sephiroth could still hear the slum woman's shrieks, as he sprinted away from the scene. Once he was a safe distance away, he leant his heaving form against a wall.

They found _one_!

Pressing the back of his hand against his lips, he fought to get a grip of his emotions. Now wasn't the time to lose himself. Especially now. Things would change around the Slums. Finding one of _them_ here, meant more was here. ShinRa would definitely increase patrol. There would be more checks. More scouting. It would force him to be more caution. More paranoid. More wary. Pushing off the wall, he continued forward. Soon coming to another stop outside a food joint. Big Tasty. Confirming the time on his watch, he drove his other hand into his pocket. Waiting.

A bell jingled.

"Seph!"

His smile was automatic as the shorter boy embraced him. Patting the unruly blond locks, "I'm guessing it was a good day." Shifting the boy so his arm draped over the small shoulders, they began to walk.

"Yep," the blond popping the 'P', pulled out a handful of balled up gil.

"Cloud," he hissed, glaring at a man who stopped to drool at the cash, "put that away!"

Giggling, the boy did as he was told. "A lady from above plate came in. She left me a big tip!" Hands dancing as he talked, Sephiroth listened as the blond shared today's experience. "Your day went good too?"

The silver haired teen didn't like sharing his days with the boy. He knew the blond was aware of sex and everything that came with it. But that didn't mean he would continue to rot the boy's mind with it. Besides, he was still peeved at Scarlet for underpaying him. So what if she didn't get his full service! It wasn't his fault.

"It could have been better," he replied instead. There was no need to worry the blond.

"Are we going h-" Cloud coughed wildly, sounding close to choking up a lung.

Sephiroth could do nothing but rub the boy's back. Feeling useless. His stricken eyes took in the pale appearance of the blond. Veins nearly transparent through the skin. Dark circles formed under dull azures. The hue of those soft lips fading. Cloud looked close to death and it put ice cold terror in the teen's heart.

He allowed the blond to go too long without _it_. He wanted to bash his head against a wall. Knowing the question the boy was going to ask. The teenage silverette decided to answer it.

"I have to visit Corneo first," the words were bitter off his lips.

"You don't have to...I'm okay..."

"No!" He hadn't meant to shout, but after everything that's happened today, he was feeling on edge. "I put it off long enough," he said more softly. Lifting the blond's head, "You'll only get worse if we continue to wait." He wanted the boy to get better. The thought of Cloud falling into an eternal slumber made him sick to his stomach. What would he do if he lost the blond? He wouldn't be able to live, that was for sure.

His blond nodded tiredly, slumping against him as they restarted walking, the energy from earlier vanishing.

Yes, it was definitely time.

* * *

Corneo's henchmen gave Sephiroth no trouble, as he traveled up the grand stairway. They've seen him more than a few times to get acquainted with his face. Walking the red mile, he envisioned the young-barely legal-women lined up, awaiting their bedroom fates.

Arriving at the rosewood framed door, he knocked twice, waiting for the sleazy voice to give him permission to enter. It didn't come for another five minutes. When he was allowed inside, he wasn't surprised to see a young brunette on her knees, wiping at the corners of her lips. He pitied the girl who looked doped out of her mind. Nevertheless, it was a sight Sephiroth was use to seeing. His paranoia made him think the fat pervert did it purposely, just so the teen could walk in and see.

The obese blond grinned, slumped back in his big chair. Sex's musk lingered through the room. It took everything he had not to scrunch up his nose at the unpleasantry of it. The silverette reassured himself that he wouldn't be here much longer. All he had to do was get what he came for and leave with no skin off his back. Once the forgotten brunette gathered herself enough to leave, Corneo's droopy eyes focused on him.

"Here already," the sweaty man asked rhetorically, reaching for something. There was a sliding and closing, before the Don paused, gazing at what was in his hand. Slowly, he revealed the reason for Sephiroth's presence. Three slender vials containing a blue liquid that emitted an eerie glow. His heart raced at the sight, but knew to keep all emotions hidden. "Ya'Know, these precious jewels are _very_ expensive and _very_ hard to come by," fingering one of the vial's edges, "I could be imprisoned, or even killed if I'm caught with these." Sighing out his fat nose, Corneo placed his weight on his elbows. "What do I get in return for these jeopardizing beauties? Chump change and a stiff face." _Tsking_, a smirk pulled at the blond's lips. "Why don't you bend over and let me see what's all the hype about with fucking you little street rodents."

The silver haired teen kept his face blank. One small twitch would send everything down hill. He remained straight-faced long enough to disinterest the Don.

Sucking his teeth at having his fun denied, Corneo held out the vials, "Take it and go crawl back to the sewers or wherever you homeless brats live." Sephiroth didn't need to be told twice, latching onto them with a sudden gusto. "Ah-Ah," the blond worked his finger from left-to-right, "what do you say?"

"Thank you," biting back a venomous slur, he finished the line, "sir."

Corneo hummed, loosening his hold on the vials.

Throwing down the correct amount of gil owed, he swiftly concealed the vials, heading for the door. "I expect you next month, around the same time, yes?" He grounded his teeth at the mocking questions. He would be back. He always came back. Where else would he get the illegal substance?

Holding every ounce of emotion in, he moved through the house with practiced ease. Saying nothing to those who greeted him, or tried catching his attention. His entire demeanor changed, once he got outside. As if he had tunnel vision, the teenage silverette flew down the streets. Barely managing to avoid crashing into people. He needed to get back! If that meant knocking over a few bystanders, so be it. Always keeping an eye out for people dressed in ShinRa armor, he ventured further away from the dangerous area.

As the church came into view, relief washed through him. Busting through the doors, he jogged to the front of the abandoned building. Lowering himself onto the tattered quilt, he crawled over toward the sleeping boy. "Cloud," pulling the smaller body up, his soul cracked at the weak moan. "It'll stop soon... I'll make it stop," swallowing thickly, he rolled up the little blond's sleeve. Reaching over to retrieve a syringe from the head of their makeshift bed, he began the process he could do in his sleep.

Syringe filled with the glowing liquid, he tapped the crease of Cloud's arm, searching for a vein. Impatience ate at him as none made itself known. Chartreuses searched around for a minute. With a moment of triumph, he snatched onto a half empty water bottle. Delicately placing the fragile syringe down, he brought the feverish body closer to him.

"C'mon, Cloudy. Drink some of this for me," propping the entrance at the pale lips, he tilted the bottle. "C'mon," he coaxed again. He watched as the blond's throat moved, praising him with each sip downed. Water gone, he checked for visible veins. Sighing gratefully, he lifted the syringe, "Alright..." Preparing himself mentally, emotionally, and physically for what was about to come.

The needle pierced flesh. A whimper. Thumb resting on the lever, it gradually pushed down. Lengthened whines turned into objecting moans. The empty syringe was place out of destruction's reach. Counting back from ten...

The screams began.

Tears could not be restrained, as he held the jerking body close. Muttering sweet nothings into deafened ears. Cloud's legs lashed out, body unconsciously trying to fight off the invisible attacker. Trying to escape the excruciating torture. Screams becoming to much, Sephiroth clamped his hand over the little blond's mouth. He hated this part. _Hated it_. Why couldn't they have normal lives like everyone else? Why were they cursed with the hand of misfortune? Why wasn't their parents strong enough? Why did they have to suffer?

Why!

This was his time to grieve. His time to frown and hate, while no one was looking. He questioned everything. Life. Hope. Dreams. Faith. If only there was a way to make a difference. He'd do his damnest to make those prejudice bastards above plate see, _they_ weren't all the same. That there were some out there who were sincerely different. Who weren't gone off their rocks in insanity, or bloodthirsty. But, how did you make people who chose to be blind, see?

Closing eyes far to mature for someone his age, he waited for the screams to come to an end.

* * *

**A/N: So cookies, what did ya think?**

**If you're a fan of Fanged Guardian, then you know better than to try and guess what'll happen in this story ;D ;D ;D**

**CHOW**


	2. Cruel Reality

**Chapter 2: Cruel Reality**

* * *

Eyelids languidly lifted, revealing foggy azures. Awareness coming back to him, he felt a familiar heat pressed against his back. He was saved. A wave of gratitude hit him. Twisting under the weighty arm, he settled back down. The sleeping face was one of peace, a luxury it didn't know when awake. Features sharp and toned, with high cheek bones, the face lost all of its signs of adolescence. Cloud's smile was immediate. Another day of seeing that face, hearing that velvety voice, and smelling the natural scent of dragon fruit.

"Sephiroth," caressing his four fingers down the sleeping silverette's face, he watched the crooked nose wrinkle. "Seph," he sung out, inching his face closer to the teen's own.

Like Christma, watching Sephiroth's eyes open was everything and so much more. Cloud saw the world in those green eyes. Things he couldn't see with his own. The brightest of smiles appeared at silverette's lips. Shifting once more to rest his head upon folded arms, the blond gazed at the only person in the world, who'd ever bothered showing him an inch of kindness.

"Hey," Sephiroth whispered, voice thick with sleep.

"Hi," he returned the morning greeting.

The older boy connected their foreheads, eyelids lowering over those wise chartreuses, he exhaled deeply. "I'm glad you're okay," came the soft whisper, "how do you feel?"

Knowing the teen wouldn't accept any generic answers. The blond took his time to check. Wiggling his toes. Shaking his legs. Rolling his hips. Everything from his waist-below was working properly. His upper half didn't feel too bad either. Though, there was one thing. "Nothing's wrong, except for my stomach," on cue, rumbling sounds of hunger sounded off.

Chuckling, the other replied, "Let's go eat then."

Cloud hooped onto his feet, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothing. He spotted a hole at the end of his shirt. Darn! This was his favorite one too. Deciding to deal with it later, he skipped toward the silver haired teen waiting for him by the door.

Walking through the sullen streets of the Slums, the blond noticed the apprehensive glances Sephiroth sent in nearly every direction possible. Heck, he saw the teen look up! There was nothing up there, besides the pizza shaped plate blocking the sky. He wanted to ask what was wrong, because something definitely wasn't right. But, he kept quiet. It was the silverette's usual behavior...not that it _had_ to be.

It was Cloud's fault. It was because of what he was. What he was, was one of _them_. He didn't suffer from insanity or blood lust like they did. Not like it mattered though. ShinRa would sick its dogs on him in an instant. Being a thirteen year old homeless boy didn't earn him any points either. According to ShinRa, males were more aggressive and likely to fall to madness quicker than females. The blond wasn't scared of death. He had become desensitized to it long ago. Watching groups of lives end in less than five minutes would scar anyone.

What he was scared of, was being taken to the labs in ShinRa. It was rumored to be impossible to escape. Once taken, you never left again. He had overheard people whisper of the horrors that happened to the captives. You were operated on, while you laid there wide awake! Paralyzed. But able to feel everything happening to you.

That's what he feared. Sephiroth feared it happening to him too. Which was why the teen was so paranoid.

Arriving at their favorite breakfast spot; Hot Plate. They quickly grabbed a booth toward the back. The owner immediately recognizing them, sent a waitress over. "How ya doin', Sugarpuss?" Wendy, a bright red head with spots of freckles, greeted them with her usual charm.

"Hungry," he answered, earning a giggle from the woman, and a pinched cheek.

"What'll be this time, boys? The usual?"

Azures watched the boy across from him, waiting for his answer. Sephiroth was frugal with gil, never wasting a single coin on something worthless, or things that couldn't be traded later. Cloud really wanted pancakes! So, he may or may not have pouted. At the silverette's nod, he cheered in victory.

Wendy chuckled, "Alrightie darlin's, your orders should be done in fifteen." With that, she left to hand their order in to the cook.

Peering around the diner at the other early raisers, he counted seven. Turning back to Sephiroth, he prepared to make conversation till their food arrived, when he paused. Those intense chartreuses were studying him firmly.

"How are you feeling?"

Rolling his eyes, "You already asked me that this morning." When those pink lips thinned, Cloud sighed, resting his face against his fists. "I'm _okay_," jeez, he didn't know any other way to say it!

The teen nodded, "I'm only making sure," sweeping silver bangs back, "I wouldn't put it pass Corneo to sell me a bad batch."

At the mention of the perverted Don and _bad batch_, he lowered his eyes. Yet again, something else the silver haired teen didn't have to go through, but because of him, had to. Cloud had went with the silverette once and never again. He had been eleven around that time. The look the overweight blond gave him, when they explained his situation. He didn't know how to explain the look, there probably weren't even words for it. All the blond knew, was that it chilled him to the bone.

As for the _stuff_ brought from the kingpin, he liked to call it medicine. It made him feel less dirty and more like a normal person taking prescriptions. Legal, over the counter medicine.

"Cloud-"

Already knowing the sugary words the teen would say, he cut them off with his question. "Are you off today?" Azures watched those lips thin again. The exotic greens narrowed. "I am," speaking up again when those lips parted, "I'm over my hours. So they gave me today and tomorrow off."

"Yes," Sephiroth exhaled in defeat, "I'm heading in a little early."

That wasn't new. "Mickey Mouse's making you work the bar again?"

"That and there's suppose to be some new VIP coming in," the teen was about to say more, but stopped. "I'll probably be late coming home."

Cloud's heart clenched. He didn't like spending ample amounts of time alone. Going half a day without seeing Sephiroth was bearable, but majority of the day...that was pushing it. The blond didn't have a lot of friends. Obviously. And with his heavy secret, everyone was pretty much the enemy. The gil for turning someone like him in, turned family members against each other. Especially here in the Slums. For the desperately poor dwellers, gil was but a dream. When the rare opportunity came to get their hands on the scarce green paper, they'd sell their very souls.

Before he could ask the silverette what time he needed to leave, Wendy reappeared with their food and drinks. Making small conversation as she sat the plates and glass cups, she left them again, to enjoy their meal.

"You know the rules," came the other's sudden words.

The blond frowned around his fork. Yes, he knew the rules. No roaming the streets. No talking to strangers. No leaving the church. No going outside. He hated being there alone, with nothing to do, or no one to talk to. Usually, he could sleep the day away. With it being less than twenty-four hours since he received his medicine, he'd be up and energized though. In other words, buzzing with life, but unable to do anything with it.

"Do you think Iflana would mind me staying over?" He didn't know why he asked, the woman was a saint, but she was also like everyone else. A Slum dwelling, ShinRa fearing person, trying to make each day bearable. "Yea, yea, I know..." He backtracked, not wanting to be scolded.

"I do too, Cloud," Sephiroth remarked seriously, "I don't like leaving you there by yourself either. But just for a little longer, you'll have to deal with it. Okay?"

"...Okay..."

* * *

What was he doing? Gaia! Sephiroth was going to be so mad. He was breaking the rules, but he couldn't help it. Two hours of sitting in that stupid church, with nothing but the walls to keep him company was driving him nuts. Cloud had tidied their little space. Dusting the blankets, fluffing their mismatching pillows, placing scattered items back in their correct spot, and so on. Sitting still was never his strong point. He needed to move, he needed to be free, he needed to go.

The blond was starting to regret his decision. ShinRa was littering the place worse than trash. They were literally _everywhere_. Something had happened last night. From his corner, hidden in the shadows, azures took in the armor clad men and women. There was only one thing that could have happened. They found one of _them_. His kind. Now ShinRa was back to find more. Like starving dogs sniffing out meat.

No wonder Sephiroth had been so antsy this morning.

Heart racing. He had to get out of here! Pivoting, he dashed through alleyways, cutting corners, and scaling fences. Shadows were his ally. They were his friend. His second protector when Sephiroth wasn't around. But, he was never suppose to wield them. He was forbidden to bend them to his will. To shape them into weapons. No matter how much they called out to him, he couldn't answer back. Because once he got a _taste_, it was game over.

Coming to the end of the alley, he estimated the steps he'd need to take to make it to the one across the street. Too many. Listening to the sounds around, he didn't hear anything. Or at least, he didn't hear the heavy steps that belonged to ShinRa dogs. He could make it...he could definitely make it...

Placing a foot out of the shadows, "Hey!" The limb was yanked back, as he scrambled into the alley. "Stop that person!" Crap! He was spotted.

Turning tail, he darted back from which he came. Taking different routes. Azures burned, straining to see through the dark. He wouldn't let them take him! He wouldn't! Breathing heavily. The blond ignored the burn building in his lungs. He had to get away! So focused on escaping, Cloud was sent flying backwards, when he ran into something hard. No! No! No! Dragging himself across the ground, skin tore from his palms. Back hitting something else hard, a resounding scream popped from his mouth.

Curling into a ball. He waited for the hands to reach out and snatch him away. Away from his home. Away from Sephiroth.

...

Seconds turned to minutes as he continued to wait. What were they doing? Why weren't they wrestling him from the alley? Scanning him? Pointing their guns at him? What was the hold up? Chancing a peek, he saw no one. Heard nothing. Sitting up, he paused. Silence. A hysterical giggle bubbled up his throat. No one...no one was chasing him. No one saw him.

He was safe.

Cupping his mouth, he laughed, tears spilling from his eyes.

Needing a few more minutes to get himself under wraps, he rose to his feet. Cloud was really starting to turn into a nutcase. It had to be the air. He wasn't use to being outside for so long. Venturing through the alleyway, calm and aware, he arrived at his previous spot before he went crazy. Cautious now, he inched his way out of the shadows.

All he had to do was make it across the street. He'll be one step closer to making it home then.

Piece of cake.

One foot after the other, his body made its way toward the next passage. No one stopped him. Relief began to set in. Never again would he break the rules. He had hated them, simply because he hadn't understood why they were needed. Well, he _did_. The blond just thought the silver haired teen was being overprotective. Like always. Things could never be as bad as the rumors say. Who believed rumors anyway? But after this frightful experience, the little blond knew that the whispered tales were true. Being out here now, Cloud was flirting with death. Sure, he wasn't scared to die, but that didn't mean he wanted to!

Azures could see the old church now. Breathing out slowly, he left the shadows completely.

Colliding straight into a man donning that haunting armor.

A blade of terror sliced through him. Azures wide, he gaped at the man. Said man stared back. Neither made a move, not knowing what to do. It didn't take long for the man to snap out of his moment of shock though. Raising the dreadful device, Cloud was asked to hold still. He didn't. Shaking his head, he stepped away from both the armor clad man and Reader.

"I've already been scanned today," he lied, hiding his trembling hands behind his back.

Dark brown orbs watched him in clear suspicion. "Then you wouldn't mind being scanned again," taking a step forward, Cloud took another backwards.

"I do mind."

"And I don't care," the man snapped, "now we can do this the hard way, or you can just cooperate, and allow me to do my job."

Panicking, he couldn't think of any excuses. What should he do? If he ran, back up would be called. He'd be in serious trouble then. If he stayed, he'll be in even bigger mess. He could- No! He couldn't do that! He promised he wouldn't.

"If you don't leave me alone, I'll report you!" Puffing out his chest, Cloud scowled, doing his best to scare the man.

"I don't have time for this," the man lifted his wrist, reaching to press a button on the device secured there.

The blond knew exactly what pressing that button meant. "Okay! Okay!" Heart squeezing its way up his throat, he bit his lip, balling his hands into fist. Trembling, azures watched the scowling man come closer. Goose pimples crawled across his skin.

"Hold still," the man warned.

The Reader was placed over his eyes. Seconds later, his vision exploded in red.

After he heard the first beep, he slapped the device away. Sending it crashing to the ground. Ignoring the cursing man, he dove for the Reader. Small hands gripping the handle, he repeatedly smashed it into the cold concrete. Cloud was sent sailing toward the wall closest to him. Head clunking into the bricks. A pained yelp left him.

"You filthy little brat!" The armor clad man hissed, checking over the expensive device.

With the man distracted, Cloud slowly rose to his feet. Gripping the side of his head, his mouth opened with a groan. Alerting the other. Darn it! Instincts told him to run. And that's what he did. Knowing he could lose the man in the alleyway, his little body dashed in that direction.

"Oh no you don't!" Came the furious shout.

So close the blond was, before he was tackled to the ground. Bottom lips busting on impact. He cried out. The body was heavy on top of him. That didn't stop him as he struggled.

"You're one of those freaks aren't you!" A fist slammed into the back of the blond's head. "After that one we found yesterday, we knew there'll be more." Hand gripping his ponytail, the man shoved his forehead twice into the ground. "You all act the same," the man spat, "you try to sweet talk your way out of being scanned, but when that doesn't work, you go on the defensive, before attacking when all your options are used up."

Cloud screamed. He knew more might be drawn to his sounds of despair, but he couldn't think. The only thing on his mind was _getting away_. If they didn't kill him, they would take him to the labs. He had made the decision long time ago, that if he was ever caught, he would force them to kill him, or kill himself.

"You disgusting monsters shouldn't be alive, you shouldn't even exist!" All the hatred and then some, was hissed in those words. "You kill, kill, and kill some more!" Another punch crashed into the blond's head, dizzying him. "You bastards killed my older sister! She was only offering one of you pathetic savages food! And you killed her!"

He flapped his arms, rocking his body from side-to-side. Trying just about anything to throw the body off him. "I didn't kill anyone!"

"Shut up!"

He was flipped roughly onto his back, before he could grasp what was happening. Cloud could taste and smell his blood. He could feel it trail from his forehead and drip onto the ground. Sephiroth... Tears welled up in his azures, as he thought of the silver haired teen. "Help..." He sobbed the word to ears that would never hear it.

Unfortunately, the wailing man thought he was asking him.

"Help _you_...?" Brown eyes fogged with something crazy, the man chuckled humorlessly. "The only thing I'll help you with, is taking your life! No, better yet," sneering down at him, "I'll donate you to science."

If the man had said anything else, Cloud didn't hear them. Donate him to science... Heart beats feeling like a sledge hammer attacking a wall. He couldn't breathe. Blood drained from his cheeks. The blond felt frighteningly cold. The man was planning on taking him to the labs.

"I won't go there..." He keened the words, body working overtime to escape. "I won't go there!" The blond screeched.

Reaching his hand above him, he clawed at the ground. That's when he felt it.

The shadows.

He promised Sephiroth he'd never use them, unless it was his only option in an extreme emergency. This was that time! That didn't stop him from having second thoughts. Until a fist pounded into his nose, crunching the cartilage. Any hesitation was wiped away.

Cloud could feel the shadows move across his skin like silk sheets. It warmed him. Comforted him in ways Sephiroth never could. But, they were bloodthirsty. They saw what the man was doing to him. And they were _angry_. He fed off the shadows. Merging with the hate. The bitterness. The fury. The madness.

The sclera of his eyes darkened, until it was sooty black. His irises turning into pools of blood, pulsing with various shades of red. Around the edges of his eyes, veins stood bold against the skin there.

He felt so...free...

As if he had been drowning all his life and had just surfaced to the top. He could finally breathe.

The armor clad man had noticed the change and went still. Brown eyes wide in transparent fear. "Oh shit..." Trailing off, the man fumbled for the weapon at his side.

Bending the shadows, he commanded them like a veteran. The shadows whipped at the weapon, sending it skidding out of reach. Cloud inhaled, spreading his arms out against the ground. Looking to be asking for a hug. The shadows knew what he really wanted. Holding the man in place, it pushed him flat across Cloud, who wrapped small arms around the sweaty neck.

"I won't go there," the blond whispered into the damp ear. A demonic-like voice mingled with his own, hushed in a seductive whisper.

Before the man could scream. Black spikes jetted from Cloud's body, piercing through the armor and shielded skin inside like butter. The spikes stopped five feet into the air. A dark fog clinging to them. The blond listened to the man gargle on his blood. He felt the body laying upon his tremble.

"I won't let you take me..."

They were Cloud's farewell words, as the nearly dead body was torn away from him. Snatched into the depths of shadows behind him. Sounds of gore came from the alley. Tears and forceful ripping. Blood splattering. Bones crunching.

A smirk pulled at Cloud's lips.

* * *

Sephiroth sighed, exhausted. Something he shouldn't have been, but a nagging feeling in his gut had been bothering him for the pass hour. Immediately his thoughts went to Cloud. Multiple scenarios worked its way into his head. Driving him crazy by the minute. Something was wrong. He could literally feel it. The silverette's paranoia was bizarre, but they never failed him.

Lips aching from the forced grin, he tipped a glass filled with wine against his lips. He didn't dare drink any. Only letting it hit his lips, before pulling the glass away. Giving the illusion of sipping at the sweet liquid. Personally, he disregarded any substance that altered the state of mind. The teen wanted control of his body and all actions around the clock. No breaks. Or exceptions.

Chartreuse didn't miss anything in his current situation. Sweet&Sour was throwing a welcoming party for the new VIP; Mr. Deusericus, a twenty-five year old, with a trust fund bigger than Midgar. The blond was also the son of President Shinra, owner of ShinRa Inc. Another upper plate-dweller. Surprise, surprise. The guy was nice enough, maybe a little too much, but an okay person. As far as being human went.

They had been conversing for awhile, until another host stole the rich boy's attention. Sephiroth wasn't annoyed by having a potential, well-paying client taken. No. He was grateful. The blond hair and blue eyes were making the teen nervous. The features reminded him of Cloud.

The little idiot had done something. He could _feel_ it.

Last time the silver haired teen felt the foreboding force, he had went home and found the blond with a broken leg. The thoughts of finding the little blond hurt, probably bleeding to death, petrified him.

Glancing around the giggling male and female hosts, it was obvious that the party wasn't going to slow down anytime soon. Excusing himself, he caught Mr. Deusericus's eyes before exiting the room. He jogged toward Mickey Mouse's office, tapping his knuckles against the rosewood door.

"Come in."

Sephiroth was in the room before the raven could finish. "Do you mind if I head out early," seeing the other's eyes narrow, he hunched over, palming his stomach with one hand, and his mouth with the other, "I'm...not feeling well." Making sure to throw in a soft gag for effect.

"What the hell did you eat, kid!" The lanky man exclaimed, rushing a bucket over to him.

After another gag, he groaned, "I drank some...wine..."

Mickey sighed in frustration, "Dammit, you fucking wiseguy, who told you to touch that stuff?" Exhaling deeply, "Go on, go home."

Making sure not to milk it too much, the teen nodded in thanks. Gagging once more to erase any doubt in the raven's mind, he left after the man threatened to throw something at him. Straightening up, he walked toward the dressing room. He had brought a change of clothing with him this time. Sephiroth wasn't in the mood for any of the perverted cat calls and wolf whistles. Tense and worried, he didn't trust himself not to snap someone's neck.

The door to the room opened.

"Leaving early?"

The voice startled him, not being one he was expecting. In the middle of putting his shirt on, he peered over his shoulder. "This room is for _staff only_," he glared at the blond rich boy.

Mr. Deusericus raised both hands, "I mean no harm."

"Then leave."

"I will," the blond paused, not embarrassed about ogling the teen, "I just wanted to know why someone like you bother working here?"

Snorting once, Sephiroth didn't answer for a few seconds, pulling the shirt on. "Why do you think I work here," damn imbecile.

"Because you're running away from your problems."

"What," the silverette snapped.

"How long has it been since you ran away? Two, three years?" The blond crossed his toned arms, "Do you have any idea how selfish you are? How much you've hurt Lucrecia?"

He felt as if he'd been electrocuted, as he stumbled back into a wall. "My mother's _dead_," he seethed. How dare this stranger come barging into his life! As if he knew him, or anything about him!

"Say's who? You?" Mr. Deusericus hissed, taking a step forward. "You had no right doing what you did, Sephiroth! Do you know you could be sentenced to ten years in prison, because of your actions? Did you think of the consequences? Or what it would do to your mother?!"

The teen was done talking with the blond. "You know _nothing_!" Storming across the room, he went to shove the man aside, when he was pushed backwards. Stumbling back, he managed to catch himself before he fell. Had Sephiroth been a cat, he would have hissed.

"I'm informed enough to know that you escaped with a 5th Level Subhuman. A male Subhuman, who are known to be overly aggressive and prone to fall to insanity quicker than their female counterparts. _That_ I know and is all I need to."

His fist clenched.

"He isn't like the others!" Sephiroth shouted. This was his chance to prove to them that not all Subhumans were death hungry monsters, senselessly spilling blood because they were insane, empty vessels. "I can show you that he's different!" He'd show them, all of them. Cloud was gentle and caring, the blond wouldn't step on an ant.

Mr. Deusericus stared, silent. It almost made the teen want to fidget. "Alright, lead the way."

"No problem," the silver haired teen retorted heatedly, determined more than ever.

Sephiroth waited outside for the blond man. He could hear loud whines and coaxing complaints for the man to stay. Rolling his chartreuses, he glanced at his watch. Just when he thought he'd have to go back inside and drag the man out, he appeared, clean and not a hair out of place.

Venturing through Slums, the teen didn't want to talk to the blond man, but curiosity was eating at him.

"I'd never thought a rich boy like you would be down here, does daddy know?" Okay, so maybe he wanted to get under the man's skin as well.

"No," the man didn't take the bait, "but neither does your mother. Something we have in common now don't we."

Truce. "Were you looking for me? Or just looking to get your _rocks off_?"

It was the blond's turn to snort. "Not to sound arrogant, but finding a bed partner, man or woman, is like child's play for me. I don't need to pay for what I can get for free."

"Ah," the silver haired teen wanted to say something snooty, but knew it would do no good, "you found me then. What now?"

"Now, we see if your little _friend_ is what you claim him to be."

"He is. You and everyone else will feel like fools, once you find out not all Subhumans are delirious killers."

"Yes well, I prefer action over words."

"Sure you do," Sephrioth muttered.

They continued on in silence. The blond man wasn't an ounce of uncomfortable walking around the hazardously contaminated streets. In fact, the man was surprisingly relaxed. As if he was walking around his living room. It wasn't long before the old church came into view. Sephiroth had then realized that the foreboding feeling was gone. Like it was never there. For some reason, that worried the silverette more.

"Something the matter?" He looked to see the blond man watching him.

"Fine," the teen snapped, "just don't say or do anything stupid."

Walking ahead of the top plate-dweller, he pushed open one of the heavy double doors. The candles were lit. Nothing seemed wrong or like something horrible happened. Stepping inside the abandoned sanctuary, "Cloud!" Sephiroth called out, eyes working to catch the little blond's form.

"Seph..."

Chartreuses eyes went wide as they took in the little person limping toward him.

* * *

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS AGAIN! **

**You might see more of this story being updated than Fanged Guardian, since I'm still doing heavy planning for that story. At least with this story, I have a lay out until chapter 5.**

**I know some of you may/may not still be confused, but stick it out. I don't like Info Bumping. Ya know when you stick an overflowing amount of information in one chapter, telling the reader basically EVERYTHING about the story in one sitting?! Yeah, that's Info Bumping.**

**This will have a more fast-pace feel to it than; Fanged Guardian. Now hold on a minute! That doesn't mean Sephiroth and Cloud will be getting it on, especially not now. (Cloud's only 13...ya pervert ;D ;D ;D) The story will have a brief period of love-triangle, because I'm friggin in love with that theme. **

**Hey, if you know a good- I mean really bitching love-tri story, lemme know. I've been itching for a good one. It could be anything under the sun. I'll love you long time if you know any Devil May Cry (Dante/Nero/Lady, or, Dante/Nero/Trish) ones. I wanna read one of those SOOOOO bad! I would make one myself, but I'm stalling that boat as long as I can.**

**CHOW**


	3. Ignorance Is Bliss

**Chapter 3: Ignorance Is Bliss**

* * *

Sephiroth rushed forward taking the blond by the arm and sitting him in the many seats around. Gazing over the bruised, swollen, and blood stained face. He left the boy for what felt like a second, coming back with a small First-aid kit. He knew it! Something did go wrong! Just looking at the injuries, the teen knew without the other having to tell him. Cloud went outside. Even so, the silver haired teen still wanted to know what happened.

"I went outside..."

Yes, that was obvious. He wanted to be angry with the blond, he was, but not as much as he would've liked. Cleaning blood away from a busted bottom lip and bruised forehead, disinfecting ointment was applied soon after. "Who did this?" There was no point in asking why. The teen already knew _why_ the boy disobeyed his strict rules to go outside. Boredom. Loneliness. Hardheaded. The list went on.

When he didn't get an immediate answer, he stopped rubbing the white soothing cream around the boy's nose. Not in the mood for any sass, he opened his mouth to threaten the other with a punishment, but closed them after noticing what had stolen the little blond's attention. That's right! In his gush of worry, Sephiroth had forgotten about the reluctantly invited presence. Mr. Deusericus. Cloud's stare was intense, not blinking once. A chill ran down the teen's spine at the unblinking stare. Usually the boy would turn into a timid mess, hiding behind the silverette, while chewing on his lip.

"Who's he?" The azures didn't leave the man, who had taken it upon himself to nose around. It irked the teen, but he shrugged it off. They had nothing to hide, let the top plate-dweller look.

"President Shinra's son," Sephiroth had glanced down at Cloud's foot, seeing the slight puff around the ankle, "he's come to check you out. I told him you were different than the others..." He trailed off after seeing the fright written over the other's face.

"Why did- What... I, you..." Came the jumble of unfinished sentences.

Quickly taking hold of the round face, not yet having lost its baby fat. "Everything's _fine_, Cloud." Waiting for the blond to get his breathing under control, "Believe me, I wouldn't have brought him here, but he had been searching for us. It was just his lucky day that he finally found me." The teen couldn't help but feel bitter over the fact. Three years under the radar down the drain. His blood, sweat, and tears all for nothing. He knew he should have hid better, but Sephiroth had made it clear that he wouldn't be in Midgar the day he ran with Cloud in tow. Guess Midgar Slums still counted as _in_ Midgar, no matter how abandoned and infested with unfortunate happening it was.

He was going back to the injured ankle, when he heard the hissed words that just about made his heart stop. "I can kill him," thankfully the words were low and only for his ears. That still didn't stop the silverette from snapping his head back, waiting to see if the blond man had heard. After a few seconds of nothing happening. Sephiroth whipped his head back around, yanking Cloud's face closer to his.

"What did you say?" The teen scowled, resisting the urge to smack the boy. Roughly tilting the small head back, chartreuses bored into the wide and scared azures. He was digging for _it_. Dreading _it_. Not wanting to find _it_. But he needed to know, he needed to see if all this was _really_ for naught. The silver haired teen swam through the pools of blue, searching for the _one thing_ that'll ruin it all.

Madness.

After what felt like decades, Sephiroth released his younger companion. Relief rinsing over his spooked soul. For a minute, he thought he lost the boy. Thought that after all these years, the madness that plagued Subhumans, had finally gotten to Cloud. Why would the blond say something like that though? It was the first time Sephiroth had heard the boy use _I_ and _kill_ in the same sentence. Taking in the sweaty pale skin and guilt ridden azures, he knew the blond wasn't affected with madness. Maybe he was just scared? Yes. That had to be it. Anything dealing with ShinRa chilled even a ghost.

"Don't you ever say words like that again," Sephiroth mumbled harshly, "you life literally depends on this man. If he accepts the fact that you're different, he's going to let you live. But a single word about you killing _anything_ and that's it." The teen wouldn't let those words slip, nor would they stop echoing through his head. This was a game of life and death. There was no room for mistakes or patience for restarts.

The blond lowered his head, "Sorry..." Remorse. It was another sign that the boy hadn't slip into madness. Subhumans who went insane didn't feel anything but the yearning to destroy. They could kill an orphanage full of innocent children and not feel a drop of regret. Just amusement over their crime and a hunger for more.

Not able to stay livid, Sephiroth pulled the boy closer to him. Embracing the small body, while pressing his lips against the bandaged forehead. Cold bandaged forehead. It made the teen pull away. Then he noticed it. The pale skin. The light sheen to it. The dullness of the irises and dark patch under the eyes. The boy looked like death...again. Which was impossible, because he administered the cure yesterday. It was too quick and damn sure too early for Cloud to look like he was seconds from dying.

Sephiroth cursed the Don. He _knew_ the no good sleaze ball would sell him something counterfeit. The teen had an urge to storm the mansion slash whorehouse and knock the gil out of the blond pervert. Cloud was more important. Whispering into the damp ear that he'd be back, he rose from his crouch, mind set on getting one of the two vials left. Pushing pass the blond man in his way, he raided the secret stash he kept the vials in.

"I figured that's how you managed to keep the boy alive this long," Mr. Deusericus commented, taking a seat where he had a good view of them, "though, I'm sure you know Reanimate is a highly illegal narcotic, that can result in you being put to death, or thrown in prison for life. I would greatly appreciate it if you told me who your suppler is."

Preparing the syringe, he laid the blond down across the bunch. "Don Corneo, who else would be able to smuggle in this stuff!" The silverette spat. He never liked when people tried insulting his intelligence. ShinRa _knew_ the Don sold Reanimate in the black-market, just like they knew he whored out underage girls, and every other prison worthy activities the pervert took part in.

The top plate-dweller hummed, "I must say, I do admire your survival skills. Though, I'm not surprised, you got your smarts from your father and ruthlessness from your mother."

Sephiroth gritted his teeth.

Focusing completely on Cloud, he managed to find a vein this time around. Needle slipping into the clammy skin, he injected the blue fluid into the wincing boy. Swiftly, he placed the syringe away from danger, just as the boy began to scream, and limbs lashed out. Throwing himself on top of the blond, the teen able to imprison him in his arms. Jerking in whichever direction the boy tried throwing himself in.

Gaia...he hated this part.

If there was ever a time Sephiroth wished for the boy to be a regular human, it was during these painful times. He couldn't even began to fathom how agonizing this was. Why the boy even bothered going through with the injections. The teen remembered his mother comparing the injections to shooting acid through your veins. There was nothing he could do to lessen the pain. He could only wait till the chemicals settled within the blond's body. The longer the boy held off taking the injections, the worse the pain would be when he finally took it.

"I almost pity him."

Chartreuses sliced toward the blond man, once again forgetting the other's presence. "Don't _almost_ anything! He doesn't need your pity, or anyone else's for that matter."

"Still, it's another mystery," adjusting his glasses, the man gestured toward Cloud, "Subhumans are unique, powerful creatures. To think a mighty species would have such a flaw, one begins to think what their purpose really is. To serve? Or command?"

"None of that matters," he winced as the back of the little blond's head smashed into his jaw, "you just better remember Cloud isn't some mutant to dissect, or slave to control." Sephiroth warned, not trusting the man or anyone teamed with ShinRa.

"My interest isn't in probing the child, but being a 5th Level, it is inevitable that he'll need to be controlled."

"I don't see why! He's been doing fine so far, proving all your _official_ methods and _concrete_ evidence pointless." According to ShinRa, a male Subhuman would have their first bout of madness at the age of five. Again, according to ShinRa, a male Subhuman would experience a constant hum of murderous intent at ten, and by twelve, would have lost most of his etiquette, morality, and conscious. At fifteen, the male Subhuman would have killed over a dozen people. No remorse shown. By the age twenty, the male Subhuman would be completely lost to madness. Having killed close to a hundred people.

None of that applied to Cloud.

Mr. Deusericus wouldn't be persuaded, or come to an agreement. "While it is true that there are a few Subhumans who stand out from the majority, ShinRa has little knowledge on 5th Levels, with them being rare among their kind. Our books are based mostly on 1st through 3rd Levels, with a small section of 4th Levels. I can't grantee you anything, nor the child's life." When Sephiroth opened his mouth, ready to blast the man with his anger, the other raised a hand. "Of course, if the boy proves to be harmless, he will have my protection. But, this is an opportunity to gain information about 5th Levels. ShinRa is a place of ambitious souls, they won't allow the boy to roam untouched, and unfortunately, push for his death to be dissected."

The teen said nothing to that. What could he say? He knew it was true, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

From the records he secretly read in his mother's home office, a 5th Level had only been spotted twice. Both sightings a decade apart. There were only assumptions to be made about the rare Subhumans. Like them being more lethal, with powers no one could even began to imagine. A 4th Level managed to take out an entire platoon, two of them, alone and with no help. Sephiroth was sure a 5th Level would probably be able to raze a city. The thought sent another chill down his back. He didn't like where his mind was headed. But they were unstoppable.

What if Cloud fell to madness? The lives that would be lost trying to put the blond down would be devastating. Would they be able to put him down? The older a Subhuman, the stronger they became. Meaning, there was a chance that the blond could escape. How many people in the world would die if that happened? Too many. So many.

Worried eyes falling to the slumbering blond, they roamed over the now peaceful face. Smoothing out the single line of discomfort above one of the eyebrows, he knew he was pointlessly fretting. The blond wasn't a killer. Insane. Nor was he lacking remorse. They'd show the world that their logic about Subhumans was incorrect. That everything ever recorded, written, and stored was flawed.

Cloud was different.

* * *

Cloud was glued tightly to his silver haired friend, using him as a wall to block the older blond from view. He didn't trust the man and definitely didn't like him. Mr. Deusericus. The four-eyed top plate-dweller worked for ShinRa, was the son of the founder! Why were they going along with this? The man was lying! As soon as they'd step foot in the building, he'd be snatched away from Sephiroth and taken to the labs. Eh... He was starting to feel sick.

When the blond had waken up this morning, he had thought the previous night had been nothing but a dream. Azures had locked on the man immediately though. He could _smell_ the added scent in the air. A rich, clean tang that didn't belong in the musky, cheap, dust filled building. His first reaction was to run. The next...intent had scared Cloud. His usual friendly, pacifistic mind had been filled with thoughts of death. In ten seconds alone, he had thought of twenty different ways to end the intruder's life.

He had wanted to run and cry in Sephiroth's arms. To share the wicked thoughts tainting him. He couldn't though. If he told the silverette the thoughts that had came and went, the teen would look at him differently. The teen would distrust him. Be disgusted by him. Fear him. Just the thought of those charteuses watching him in terror made his heart bleed. Losing the one person who ever cared for him, Cloud wouldn't jeopardize that. He needed the silver haired teen, more than the older boy would ever know.

Especially after getting a taste of how the other would react. Last night, the teen had searched his own, looking for madness. It was an infection. While humans feared contracting gems of the deadlier kind, Subhumans dreaded madness. Cloud had once known other Subhumans, ones that had been like him. Sane. They weren't born mindless killing machines. No matter how much the human population wanted to believe. As those charteuses roamed his face, he could see the horror building. Sephiroth's muscles had tensed, body preparing to flee. There was no fight-or-flight when dealing with Subhumans, you ran, and did it as fast as you could.

Not wanting to think of his only friend fearing him, he shifted his thoughts to something else. Something worse.

Cloud stumbled at his next thoughts. Drawing attention from Sephiroth, Mr. Deusericus, and the ten highly trained guards escorting them to the top plate. The various eyes focused so intensely on him, made Cloud press closer to the silverette. Hands tightening on the arm he took captive.

"Are you okay, little one?" The blond man questioned, unreadable eyes trailing over him.

His response was to cower impossibly closer to the silverette. He briefly wondered how the teen managed to walk, without getting their legs tangled together.

"Cloud?"

Azures met chartreuses.

"M'fine," he mumbled, lowering his head to hide the sudden frown.

Cloud had...killed someone last night...and _liked_ it!

He didn't just break the safety rules, but the forbidden ones as well. He used the shadows, breaking his promise to Sephiroth, and ruined everything the other worked hard for. Ruined the teen's beliefs and the faith he had in Subhumans...in him.

How could he ever tell his older friend? How?!

How could he tell the only person that believed in him, gave him a chance, saw him as a person and not a monster, that he not only killed someone, but mangled and mutilated the body till nothing was left? Literally. Just blood splatters, pools, and bits of flesh clinging to chips of bone. How could he ever pass from his lips, that his body danced with sensations, titillating nerves in him that made certain places tighten, pulse in pleasure, then exploded in something so wonderful that words could never explain?

No. He didn't like it. He didn't like how his body burned in gratification. He didn't like how the helpless man's screams thrilled him. Nor did he like how his heart pumped in glee, as the man's blood poured over him. No, the blond didn't like it at all.

He loved it.

And it made him sick to the core.

That dark door that he promised never to opened purred for more. It whispered of all the promised pleasures they could have. Of freedom. A life not having to fear. It wanted to be the feared, not the afraid. It wanted to command, not be the controlled. The master, not the slave. The death dealer, not the dead.

One look at Sephiroth though and the dark door was slammed shut. Locked. Bolted. The whispers of the monster trapped inside was silenced. Sephiroth was his only link to humanity. The vaccine for the madness that now crept at the edge of his mind.

Cloud needed his friend, more than the silverette would _ever_ know.

He was pulled out of his musing at the sound of doors opening. These weren't the same as the train doors. Finally taking in the surroundings he blurred out, his heart nearly jumped up his throat. Fear knew no bounds. His body snapped to autopilot. Yanking on Sephiroth's arm, he tried to escape from the place. He didn't want to go to the labs! He didn't! He didn't! A piercing sound -that he found out seconds later was his scream- blazed through the air.

"Don't let them take me, Seph! I don't wanna go to the labs! I won't go! I won't!"

The blond couldn't hear anything over his panic. Swarming his thoughts were the stories told by other Subhumans. Tales that sent him screaming in a cold sweat at night. Subhumans didn't get the same Human Rights like the regular humans did. He would be treated like one lesser than an animal. There would be endless agony. Hope wouldn't exist anymore. Once you entered, you never left.

They wouldn't just harm him, but Sephiroth too. The silverette was technically a criminal, committing a crime that topped terrorism. Neither of them should stay. Both of them should run. Right now!

_It_ found its seductive purr, whispering multiple suggestions that ended with everyone dead. Cloud listened. He needed to, if he and Seph was to get away.

He was thrown to the ground before the whispers could gain any volume. Head cracking against the ground, Cloud curled into a ball. Even as the dark persona roared, demanding him to take offense, and slaughter them all. He wouldn't. He wasn't insane...not yet, but with the little sanity he still had, he would give the madness the fight of it's life.

For Sephiroth and dreams the teen wished for.

* * *

**A/N: I know some of you are expecting an update for Fanged Guardian, but just read this until I do. Which, unfortunately won't be anytime soon. Maybe? I've gotten far in my plannings, but the problem is, I've hit a snag. It's not quite writer's block, because I know where I wanna go, but I'm having a hard time getting there. If that made any sense...**

**Anywooie, I hope you enjoyed this update. Remember, leave a review! It isn't required, but it's damn sure appreciated!**

**CHOW**


	4. Evaluation And A Promise

**Chapter 4: Evaluation And A Promise**

* * *

There he sat. White room, four walls, and plastic furniture. The room was lit brighter than any house on Christmas day. On one of the walls, was a large observation glass. Thick, impenetrable glass. During his first week in the room, he had tried breaking it, and ended up having his wrist snapped. They hadn't done much to him, besides shooting tranquilizers in him every other two hours. After his panic attack that day, they agreed to keep him medicated. Being high twenty-four-seven made it hard to distinguish time, faces, and feelings. He wondered if this was how zombies felt?

He didn't know how long he'd been closed up in this white room of boredom, but what he did know, was that Sephiroth hadn't came to visit him once. Imagination at this point of time was dangerous to him. Cloud lost count on how many scenarios his mind conjured up about what happened to his silver haired friend. Death. Prison. Enslavement. Experiment. Those were just a few.

Though, he had enough to worry about. He wasn't in the labs, but was on the same floor. Upon finding that out, he had just about went mad. It was a close call. But, Sephiroth's face had flashed behind his lids. The teen's dreams, faith, hopes, and wishes. He wouldn't make a fool out of the silverette. He'd keep his promise. He'd fight the madness that desperately tried to claim him every time he let his guard down.

They gave him a week to calm down. To get a feel of the place. In the end, it was all pointless. ShinRa would never feel like home to him. Especially with these four stupid walls.

The door to his room opened. In walked a shoulder length haired brunet, who wore a red turtle neck under a black coat. Cloud's hackles still raised at the sight of the man. He never saw the brunet until now, there was obviously a reason for him to be here. Seeing his dark expression, the brunet offered a soft smile, with a hand raised in a harmless greeting.

"Hello Cloud, my name is Grimoire Valentine," the brunet took a seat in the chair on the other side of the table, "I'm head of the; Unidentified Supernatural Existence, or for short, USE Division. I'll be handling your evaluation."

Azures watched the brunet, Grimoire, open up a briefcase, pulling out supplies, neatly placing them on the table. It only took a few minutes. Once again, the friendly wine colored eyes were focused on him.

"Before we dive into the heavier stuff, I'd like to get to know you better," clicking a pen, the brunet began writing stuff down on a notepad, "I found out that it made the long process easier if we built a foundation to stand on." Wine orbs scanning over whatever was written, "I want you to be honest with me, Cloud. I won't be able to help, if you lie or keep things from me. Okay?"

The young blond sat in silence for a minute. "Okay," he mumbled.

"You're already registered in the system, so I won't be needing any of the basic information. What's your favorite color?" The question wasn't something Cloud was expecting. He felt his jaw open a little, causing the brunet to chuckle. "Come now, humor this old man a little."

Favorite color? Did he even have one? A face flashed through his mind. Bright eyes that he spent hours gazing into. "Green," he muttered, fiddling with his fingers. Cheeks heating up.

"Ah, nice choice. Mine is red, as you can clearly see."

A snort slipped out accidentally. He slapped a hand over his mouth, azures wide. Instead of being scolded, the man just laughed. This made Cloud relax. He thought for sure he would be punished.

They went through quite a few more favorites. Favorite food, number, time of day. Favorite season. Drink. Animal. Cloud found himself actually having a good time. Grimoire and his witty -silly at times- answers, had him going from giggling shyly to flat out laughing. The blond had wiped plenty of tears from his eyes. It was nice. Nothing like how he expected. There was no shouting for giving wrong answers. Hitting with objects. No whips, handcuffs, or other things that could cause physical harm.

Then the heavier questions came.

"How do you feel about Sephiroth?" The wine eyes that had been dancing in humor, were now hard with seriousness. It made Cloud shift uncomfortably in his chair.

Drawing invisible circles on the table, he made sure to look anywhere but at the brunet. "He's my only friend in the world... I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost him." He looked up as the brunet hummed. "What?"

"For years you've depended on Sephiroth for guidance, food, shelter, and his love. I've dealt with many patients who'd withdraw into themselves, slip into depression, and give up on life, after them and their provider had been separated for long periods of time." The air around them grew tense all of a sudden. "With you being a 5th Level Subhuman, you've created a link far more..._intense_, shall we say, with Sephiroth. You've made him something I like to call; Tie. He is your connection to humanity, your slipping humanity."

Cloud made Seph his Tie? He didn't remember ever doing that. Heck, he didn't even know how to! What the brunet said was true though. Being with the silver haired teen made him feel normal. Human. Not the death craving freak majority of his kind were. The darkness was repelled every time he glanced at the silverette.

"Is that why they keep giving me sedatives? Because I've been away from my Tie for so long?"

Grimoire nodded, "That's the main reason. You'll continue to grow aggressive and unresponsive to the world around you. Which is why I've come to evaluate you earlier than I planned."

"Will I be able to see Sephiroth after?" Hope bubbled up inside him.

"I'll have it arranged myself," the brunet allowed a smile on his thin lips, before having it vanish. "Your dependency is something we'll have to work on immediately. There will come a time, where you'll be away from Sephiroth for months. During that time, madness could trigger at any moment. To keep that from happening, you and Sephiroth will have to spend more time apart."

This didn't sit well with him, but what could he do? Something was bugging him though. "Why would Seph be away for months?" His heart dreaded the answer. It already knew, before words were even said.

"Sephiroth," the brunet paused, "he's joined the SOLDIER program."

"What! Why?"

"That's something you'll have to ask him yourself."

Cloud couldn't help but feel betrayed by his silver haired friend. Sephiroth hated anything that dealt with ShinRa. The teen hated SOLDIER the most. They'd lay together at night, talking about how mindlessly obedient the enhanced dogs were. How they killed just as much as Subhumans, making them nothing but snooty hypocrites. Now... Now Seph turned around and became one of those two-faced jerks!

"Cloud," when he didn't answer and instead lower his head, the brunet sighed, "don't jump to any conclusions, alright? I'm sure there's a reason Sephiroth joined."

"Yeah," he mumbled. There better be.

With his mood turned sour, Grimoire packed his things, after a few more questions that Cloud answered dryly. Muttering a "goodbye" to the brunet, he buried himself in the bed at the corner of the room.

He wouldn't make any assumptions. The blond would hear his silver haired friend out first. Once he heard the answer and reasoning for such betrayal, he'll act accordingly.

For now, he could only wait.

* * *

Cloud munched on a bag of chips, as he waited for Sephiroth to enter the recreation room. With Grimoire sitting across the room, monitoring, but still giving him the privacy needed. No matter how put out he was with the silverette, he was nearly bouncing out his skin in excitement. The blond hadn't seen his friend for a full month and handful of days. It was the longest he'd ever stayed away from the older boy. He was close to tearing his own hair out, as he counted down the days till he got to see his friend again. That day was finally here. Now, he had to wait until the actual person he came to see arrived.

His evaluation had been a success, or rather, his brain waves didn't show any chemical imbalance. He was sane. Stable. The scientists that watched him like a freshly cooked steak couldn't touch him. Well, they could, but they weren't allowed to. Orders from the President himself. The blond wasn't grateful that the man's command was keeping him from the labs, he _did_ acknowledge that he wouldn't have been able to keep them away himself.

That wasn't the end of the test. Unfortunately. Grimoire, his appointed..._everything_, told him so. There would be a lot more testing. Mandatory check-ups every last day of the month, to see if there were any cracks in his sanity. Which was ironic, because there was. Cloud would keep that a secret though. As long as he could. There'd also be surprise testing. He wasn't suppose to know that, but it was something he overheard two women discussing. And good thing he did. Now he knew that he had to constantly be on his toes.

A hand coming down on his shoulder startled him, snapping his head to see who it was. A smile blasted onto his face. "Seph!" Cloud beamed, jumping from his seat, to launch himself into the arms of his friend.

"Cloudy," came the warm greeting.

"I missed you," the blond whispered, thrilled to be with the silverette, but realizing how tired he was.

"I missed you too."

The little blond pulled away suddenly, delivering a hard punch to the older boy's arm. Sephiroth yelped, exclaiming his displeasure at being hit. "You joined SOLDIER!" His voice resounding through the room, he didn't submit to embarrassment, later he would, but not at the moment. He wanted to know why his friend would do such a thing to them. To him!

"I had to," the teen retorted, not sounding at all regretful, "it was the only way. It _is_ the only way to keep you safe."

Azures narrowed, not understanding how that was so. Connecting with the chartruses, he gasped at the glowing orbs staring back him. It was the mark of ShinRa, of SOLDIER. There was no turning back for his silver haired friend. Cloud couldn't believe the teen signed his soul over to the fat, greasy devil.

"How is becoming a dog keeping me safe?!" He shouted.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say to the silverette. Sephiroth's face swirled into a tight frown, "It's what kept you alive so far! Did you actually think they'd let a 5th Level walk around here and do _nothing_! Even with Lazard backing us, President Shinra had the final say. You have _no idea_ what that bastard was planning on having them do to you!" Bottling his rage, the teen threw himself into one of the chairs next to him. "To keep them from touching you, I struck a deal with him. He'd always wanted me under his thumb...and now he does..." Sephiroth trailed off, obviously pained by the situation. "_That's_ how me becoming a _dog_ is keeping you safe," he spat.

To say that Cloud felt like the worse person on Gaia, was completely and utterly an understatement. Watching his one and only friend, the silverette looked defeated. The teen's freedom exchanged for the blond's life.

Grim had told him a week back, not to jump to any conclusions without hearing the silverette out first. Still, he turned around and did just that. Feeling more than just horrible, he rushed toward his sullen friend, wrapping his arms around the other's neck.

"Sorry," murmured Cloud, feeling relief as his embrace was returned, "...thank you..." He was grateful toward the older boy. He really was. No one would have done what the teen did, not even the closest of family members.

"I'll have to become stronger, in order to keep you safe," the silverette said into Cloud's locks, "the more power and respect I gain, the safer you'll be, and the more they'll fear doing anything behind my back. I _have_ to do this, Cloud...it's the _only_ way."

The blond could hear what the other wasn't saying.

Gaining power and respect will earn Sephiroth triple the fear, while in return, Cloud will keep his life. He understood. All too well.

Leaning away, but not releasing himself from the embrace. He gazed into those now glowing greens. "Grim said we won't be able to see each other as much," the thought made him want to cry.

Seph nodded, "I'll try to visit as much as I can."

Inhaling the teen's scent, his body went funny for a bit. He shoved that away to go over later. Cloud wouldn't waste his time with trivial things. This could be the last time he saw his friend for months to come.

"You won't forget me, right?" That was one of his biggest fears. Subhumans weren't normally forgotten, but when killed, they became just another unfortunate name on the wind. "When you make new friends, you'll still remember me, yeah?"

The silverette snorted, "Now you're just being stupid," lean fingers pinching the blond's button nose, "I'd never forget a messy, lil' booger like you." Cloud mouth dropped, appalled. His expression earned laughter from the otherwise emotionally handicap teen. The little blond didn't take too much of an offense, since he always enjoyed watching those special greens dance in humorous light. "It's you forgetting me, that should be the problem."

"I won't never ever forgot you, Seph!"

"Alright, come down, Cloudy," this time the blond did blush at the volume of his voice, "though, I'm feeling the high levels of love." The teen teased.

Cloud flicked the older boy's forehead, pouting.

They spent the rest of their time catching up. He learned that the silverette did, in fact make a few new friends. Two boys named; Genesis and Angeal, and a girl named; Elena. He was happy that Seph was starting to socialize, remembering how anti-social the teen was. But...Cloud couldn't help but feel jealous, cheated even. He fought hard not to let it show. The blond wouldn't be the cause of his friend's failure because the silverette was too busy worrying about him and his feelings.

Sooner than either of them would have liked, it was time for Cloud to go back to his _room_. There was a moment where he didn't want to let go of the other boy. A dap of darkness had wanted to tear into Grim for bringing their time together to an end. The blond had quickly blocked those thoughts, as well as the darkness trying to control him.

Standing at the entrance of the recreation room, he snatched onto the silverette's hand. Azures wide, he ignored the brunet who was now close enough to hear their words. "Promise," he rushed out, before either of them could say anything, "promise that no matter what, we'll be friends. President Shinra, Mr. Deusericus, or anyone else won't ever be able to tear use apart. Promise!" Holding out his pinkie, he knew it was childish, but it didn't matter.

Sephiroth didn't hesitate, locking their fingers together.

"I promise that _nothing_ in this world will ever take me away from you, or you from me. Us, together, always."

Azures and glowing chartreuses held the other's gaze.

Cloud grinned, "Us, together, always."

* * *

**A/N: THE PROMISE HAS BEEN MADE! **

**I know it's short, but I hope you still enjoyed it! Thanks for all the love so far, cookies :) :) :)**

**CHOW**


	5. Similar Fates

**Chapter 5: Similar Fates**

* * *

The blond arched, unable to fight back the screams. Fingernails digging into the steel arm rest, his bound legs jerked. A carefully constructed collar -made just for him- was placed around his neck. Thick needles on either side of the steel collar, pierced the tender skin, fastening in place. To remove the collar, was to die. That's what a sympathetic Grim had told him. In the center of the collar, a raised ring wrapped around it. Light blue liquid was held captive inside.

Reanimate.

The day before, Cloud had coaxed information from the brunet about said collar. An idea conjured up by a scientist; Ho-something... The device didn't have a name. So he took it upon himself to name it.

The Hell Collar.

The collared device was an actual way to inject the needed drug into his system. After his close encounter with death last month, because one of the nurses _forgot_ the correct day for his scheduled shot. Grim had agreed to other methods. The device supervised the function of his body, shooting the drug into his system when his vitals fell to a certain level. Cloud wouldn't have minded the collar much, if it didn't have a tracker. Information one of the rookie scientists let slip in his state of deliriousness. The blond had called Sephiroth a dog, when it was he, who was the one wearing a collar. They might as well throw him a bone and move him into a dog house while they were at it.

Sweat poured down his face, as muscles quivered, and heart gave jerky beats. It felt as if he was close to death, but could still feel the fires of hell lapping at his insides. In times like these, he'd cry out for Sephiroth to help him. To give him comfort, as loving words caressed his skin, luring him into a painless sleep. Sephiroth... How the blond missed the silver haired teen. His everything was being forced by those around to become his nothing. Cloud didn't want the silverette to be his nothing!

Why couldn't the teen be something? A little bit of something he could hold close? Why did the silverette have to completely be nothing? They were suppose to be helping him! Taking his only friend, his only person to love and want him, away. Far away. Away to a place he couldn't reach. Couldn't touch. Hear. Feel. Smell.

Mouth opening in another cry, he fought the urge to call out for the teen. Seph wouldn't come. He repeated the thought till it irked him to think it. Grim had said this was a part of the process of undoing the tie formed between them. Like a pup that wailed for its mother, the mother would have to hold firm, and not give in to her child. In order for the pup to learn independence, the wailing infant would have to be ignored. When the going gets tough out in the world, one couldn't stop and cry for their mother -or someone they loved- to bail them out during every crisis.

In other words, Cloud was that pup. Again, he was being referred to as a canine. He had expressed his dislike toward the metaphor to Grim. Nowadays, it seemed everything was coming back to him being a dog for ShinRa. An unwilling dog.

"Just a little bit longer," the brunet whispered, a hand patting his damp locks.

He didn't have the strength to nod. Only managing to whimper instead.

"Vital signs and heart rate are stable. His body is under slight stress, but that could be due to the piercing of the needles." A shoulder length haired raven called out, sounding more like he was speaking to himself. "Log this session in and schedule a check up for tomorrow, I'd like monitors set up to record his vitals through the night. Mistakes will not be tolerated. I demand perfection and nothing less!"

The little blond could hear the scurrying movement of the lower scientists. Cloud didn't understand why people wanted to work under the demanding bag of bones. He probably never would. Adults, they were strange like that.

Soon after, he was being released from his steel prison. Giving a sigh of relief, he leaned into the arms of his new friend. Well, kind of friend. Grim didn't allow him to get too close, warning him of the tie that could be created in doing so. It sucked! Though, he was told once he broke his tie with Seph, and grown to be independent, he would be able to control who he _tied_ himself to. Till then, Cloud would be temporarily secluded. Kept away from others he could potentially lock his energy with.

He hated been alone. Detested it! If he could kill- The blond quickly discontinued that train of thought. Counting back from ten, he relaxed the building hate he hadn't noticed before. It was fortunate he wasn't still hooked up to the machine. The reading on the main computer would have been out of this world. Seemed like his luck hadn't ran out yet. But, he'd definitely need to be more careful! If he wasn't so drained, he would have slapped his forehead.

With the help of the brunet, he was placed on his feet. Held up straight until the blond could steady himself. Even when he was exhausted and ready to drop face first, he couldn't depend on another. Cloud didn't know independence would suck so much. Not a single hand would help him if he fell now, so he fought against the drowsiness that wanted to take him under.

"Where...going...?" It was all the little blond managed to get out in his state.

Grim, who he was starting to learn was an export in dealing with his kind in various states, understood him just fine. "We're going back to your room," came the brown haired man's gentle voice.

Wobbling toward the set destination, he felt his world tilting right, before he hit the wall next to him. "I...I don't..." Giving up trying to talk, he shook his head. He didn't want to go back to his room. That's all he ever went! To the labs -which hadn't been easy getting him there- then back to his room. Only once he'd been to the recreation room. That had been two months ago. He was _tired_ of his room and that big stupid observation window!

There was no privacy. No one to talk to. Nothing to do. Nothing but four white walls, silly plastic furniture, and memories of before all this.

Cloud had been doing fine before coming here. He had a part-time job, it didn't pay much, but it was fun! Plus, the owner gave him free burgers and drinks to take home on Fridays. They were good leftovers that got him and Seph through the weekends. He didn't have any friends, but the other workers were friendly, and the few customers who weren't gloomy made conversation with him. Then there was Ms. Gainsborough and her daughter; Aerith. They didn't visit the two often, but whenever they did, they'd always have a warm home cooked meal, and a hot shower.

They were fine. He was fine. Nothing had been wrong with him before ShinRa took control of his life.

"I know, Cloud." Grim stated from the other side of the hall, watching him, but not giving his aid. "But you know why you can't go anywhere else, we've had this conversation enough for you to know by now."

After righting him, they continued onward.

"Hate...here," the blond wanted to spit the words with a sinful hatred, but didn't have enough vigor to accomplish the act. Still, his point was made. His caretaker for the pass few months could only sigh.

Too soon they made it to his room and too soon, Cloud was left alone.

* * *

Hair tied high upon his head, Sephiroth walked through the halls toward the gym. While he aced his tests and assignments in academics, it was the physical fitness and everything combat, he was falling short in. He wasn't the worse, but he wasn't absolutely good either. His lean body held little to no muscle at all. Back at the Slums, he didn't need to be juiced up in body mass. Just fit enough to attract the naked eye and beauty that did the rest. He was a seducer. A job that didn't require fighting skills. During his younger days, people commented on his body being one of a dancer, or maybe a musician.

Now, it was his job to go hand-to-hand with the best, leap, climb, and run with them all. His first few weeks as a cadet in the SOLDIER program wasn't a walk through the part. Hell, it wasn't a walk through the comforts of ones house. His instructors had taken one glimpse of his profile and was all over him like starved wolves. Criticized at every turn and insulted before each corner. Nothing he did was correct. His stance was too wide. His kata was too stiff. His reflexes were too slow. Or his hand combat was too sloppy.

Sephiroth had been the butt of one too many jokes. Jokes made by both instructors and other cadets. Having more maturity, the silverette walked away from it all. They thought him a coward, he allowed them to. They thought him weak, he would let them say what they wanted. They thought he wasn't SOLDIER material, he'd show them all.

He dedicated every free second to putting on weight and packing on muscle. Toning, tightening, and defining. With his height, he was far too thin. The food, not worthy to have such a title, was shoved down his throat. Spoon fulls. Fork fulls.

Unlike the others who were here to become strong and honorable men. Or respectable heros like the Great Silver Fox. The silver haired teen was here to protect someone he cherished the most in this world. Cloud. It was the blond's face that kept him from throwing in the towel. There had been many times Sephiroth wanted to quit. To not be the bigger man and throw a punch at his insulter's face. When temptation looked to have won, azures and a wide smile would flash through his mind. He would be pulled from the submerging anger then, finding both reason and purpose.

It helped that he had three motivators standing in his corner.

Angeal, a raven slightly bulk in mass and two years older, had been his first friendship in the program. There was an instant click between them. The short haired raven was the embodiment of understanding. Once, the silverette had nearly told the older boy about Cloud. He had scolded himself greatly for almost letting such intimate information slip. He knew the raven suspected something, but didn't pry out of respect and _understanding_.

His next friendship had been with Elena, a girl! He had no trouble with the opposite sex. Except for the clingy, desperate, and super crazy ones. The normal girls that could hold a conversation and his interest longer than a five seconds, were the type he found tolerable. The long haired blonde had reminded him of Cloud, feature-wise. Her personality was more sly, straight forward, yet in a roundabout way. The blonde had been the top of her academic classes, only a few were able to keep up with her. Until he came and took the crown of brains. Since then, they had built a friendly rivalry around their alliance.

Sephiroth last -and most tiring- friendship was with Genesis. The fiery redhead was going to be the cause of him having a stroke. Or combust from rage.

There had been envy in those apple green orbs. The silverette couldn't detect what it was at first, nor the cause of it. His reasons for joining SOLDIER and his whereabouts for the pass three and a half years were kept under wraps, so those were quickly scratched off the list. Plus, they weren't something someone would get jealous over. It wasn't till a month later, after having a heart-to-heart, did the redhead reveal what the problem was.

The Great Silver Fox. Loz Crescent. Ex-General of SOLDIER and best warrior to have walked Gaia. No one could match the man's skills. Turks -who was said to be fearless, emotionless robots- feared and respected the man's power.

This man...was Sephiroth's father.

Genesis thought he was receiving favoritism because of the parents he had. The assumption was ridiculous! An assumption that earned the redhead a fist to the mouth. Sephiroth didn't want those memories to surface. The times of before. Before his world had been thrown off its axis, then completely flattened and flipped upside down. He didn't speak a word to the red haired teen for three weeks.

Their relationship was weird, but somehow for whatever strange reason, it fit them well.

He was pulled from his thoughts at the sight of the person coming down the hall. The teen's heart raced. He wouldn't let the other see how much he was affected. At least, he'd try to. Breathing out, glowing chartreuses caught wine orbs that held their own faint glow.

Both bodies came to a stop, neither turning to face the other.

"Little brother," the dark, sleek voice greeted.

"Vincent," Sephiroth bit out, hating that he couldn't mimic the neutral tone the long haired raven used.

"I've heard rumors of your attendance here," still looking down the hall and not at the teen, "it seems like those whispers on the wind proved to be correct."

The silverette continued to keep his own gaze forward, up the hall, and away from his older brother. "I've heard rumors too," voice turning more sour, "you've become less man and more _monster_." Cutting his eyes toward the golden clawed hand, "Seems like those whispers were true too."

"Careful, little brother," the dark voiced man chuckled, "we still have unfinished business to settle. I'd hate to ruin your chances of getting accepted into SOLDIER. Take caution of the bait you throw, because you might hook something you're unprepared to catch."

Finally facing his sibling, "I wasn't afraid of you then, I'm not afraid of you now."

"It's not the matter of being afraid or not," Vincent faced him as well, "but rather, preserving the bits of respect left, and working to gain what has been lost."

Tsking, Sephiroth shook his head. The wine eyed man was really a piece of work! They were discreetly having _this_ conversation ago. Too bad, because he wasn't going to be dragged into the stressed out song and dance again.

"You're pretty arrogant if you think I'd need your respect!"

"Oh, but you will, foolish little brother." Crossing his arms, the raven's golden limb shimmered simply under the hall lights. "With respect comes alliances. With alliances comes power. Three things you'll need from me to better yourself." Wine eyes trailing Sephiroth's form, before they flickered away. "Especially, if you want the little Subhuman to survive."

Green eyes burned with a fire not seen by the raven before. "You stay away from him!"

"Should I?"

"Damn you, Vincent!" Invading the taller man's personal space, he glowered up into those eyes he use to want as a child. "Your business is with me, Cloud has nothing to do with this."

"Wrong," the wine eyed raven retorted dryly, "he has everything to do with this."

"So what? You'll kill a defenseless child?!"

"Save your dramatics, there's no such thing as a defenseless Subhuman. As for killing him. I'll do as I please and if killing him pleases me, I'll do so."

"I swear if you touch him-"

"You'll do what?" There was a sudden flash of gold in those wine orbs.

Not fearing the challenge, "I'll make you wish you strangled me at birth."

"No worries, I can achieve such a goal now."

The tension grew so thick, the silverette wouldn't be surprised if the cadets and instructors could feel it through the walls. He was ready to slice into his older brother, the cocky bastard. But, Sephiroth wasn't impulsive, nor was he feebleminded. He knew how to choose his battles. For Cloud, he'd fly into any danger, but the blond wasn't in danger...yet. Though, he'd hate to do it, he would have to back out of this fight.

He cast his bait out and hooked something he couldn't catch. It was his choice to pull or release.

"You've been warned," Sephiroth hissed, turning away, resuming his path toward the gym.

"Noted," even in his lowered voice, Vincent's words were still heard, "another time then, little brother."

Stupid, son of a- No, calm down, don't let him get to you. Just like old times, the silverette allowed the older raven to get under his skin. Balling his fist, he pushed Vincent as far from his mind as possible.

It was great that he was going to the gym, because his fist was ready to pound into something.

* * *

The little blond shifted into the lunch room. It was clear of souls, except for the lost ones in the back. There were five of them. Two girls and three boys. Each had the same plain, dull off-white T-shirt and pants cotton set. He glanced down at his own clothing, then back at the five strangers. It didn't take long for his tired mind to make the connection. _They_ we like _him_. Subhumans. Feeling a bit upbeat at the discovery, he received his tray of food, heading toward the group.

"Hi," Cloud greeted, sitting next to the older of the two girls.

"Hello," the youngest girl -looking no older than nine- returned the greeting.

When it became clear none of the others were going to say anything, he turned his attention toward his food. Or...something that looked like food. Taking a few bites, he wanted to puke his guts out. The blond was use to getting things that had zero taste, but trying to force him to eat something that tasted like it had been scrapped out of a toilet was pushing things too far. Eggs? Ha! How about yeast! He refused to eat this! Shoving his tray away, he opened the carton of juice. Taking a test sip, he was relieved to find that it was actually apple juice. Guess because it was brought and no one had to make it themselves.

Azures studied the others. None of them seemed to have any problem with the food. A bulky teen, with dodger blue hair all but inhaled his tray of deceit. This wasn't the big guy's first time. It wasn't any of the five Subhumans first time. Watching how they casually consumed their breakfast, Cloud knew that they were _use_ to eating the horrid junk.

"You should eat," the white haired Subhuman said, voice smooth, creamy in a way, "you won't see decent food like this again."

Happy that someone was speaking to him, but confused -as well as curious- about the whitette's statement. The little blond asked, "Decent food? There's worse than this?"

The blue haired teen chuckled, "You thought you were gonna get five star meals?" Amber orbs locked with Cloud's own, dancing in amusement. "_This_," scooping watery grits up, then letting it pour from his spoon, "is heavenly compared to the shit they'll be shoving down your throat."

Color drained from the blond's cheeks, "But...Grim said-"

"Forget what that chump says," the amber eyed boy scoffed, "at the end of the day, we're Subhumans, and he's our tamer, here to keep us docile."

Gazing back at his juice box, he lifted his spoon, tossing the powder eggs into his mouth. Cringing, he stuffed another mouthful. A tiny hand held out a paper packet of salt. It was the little girl that greeted him. Muttering a soft "thanks", he sprinkled the season over the rest of his food.

He wanted to defend Grim, but...what if the older boy was right? The brunet never stay longer than he was suppose to, unless Cloud was having a _moment_. There was no pointless touching. No pats on the shoulder for comfort. Or ruffling of hair just to frolic. Never too close. No ties formed.

A tamer- no, a Subhuman tamer...

Grim was his friend though! Wasn't he?

"I know what you're thinking, little dude," the bulky teen mumbled, voice not as joyful as before. "It started out the same for us all," gesturing toward the other four, "we're scared enough to shit ourselves, then in comes our _friend_. Comfort sinks in as a routine is built and right when you think you can get use to it all- Bam! You're in hell." Swallowing down his food, "Welcome to hell, little dude."

"You don't have to scare him, Azul." The little girl gave the blond a tiny smile, failing to put him at ease.

"He's right," the whitette's zaffre blue and mustard yellow orbs, landed on the crumbling blond, "there is no _friend_ in human. It is _us_ and _them_, once you've learned that, the better a chance you'll have at surviving this hell."

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he pushed his tray away again. This time no longer having an appetite. Us? Them? The little blond knew that they were different from humans, but Subhumans were _still_ human! Surly, they didn't need to be categorized so ridiculously?!

"The shrimp has it bad," finally, the chestnut haired girl he sat next to spoke. It startled him a little.

"Have what bad?" Cloud had caught the mockery in her tone.

When blazing crimson eyes settled on him, he almost flinched back. Madness! The teenage girl didn't bother hiding the insanity there. "You're a human lover! _That's what you have bad_, shrimp."

The young blond almost denied the accusation, but caught himself at the last minute. He wasn't a human lover. But, there was one human he did love. "Only Seph," he shouted, not ashamed.

"Seph? You can't possibly mean the seed of that skank, Lucrecia!" Seeing his eyes narrow, the redhead snorted, "How vomit inducing."

The darkness rumbled inside of the blond. Baring his teeth at the older girl, "Don't you talk about my friend." Hissing the words, it took every ounce of his control not to ram his spoon into the redhead's neck.

"Touchy, aren't we, human lover?" Came the older girl's taunt.

That's it! He was going to snatch the skin from her face and shove it down her mouth, then tear it back out from her throat!

"Stop," the whitette hissed, those odd irises glowering at the redhead.

Immediately, the girl creased in action, lowering her head with a frowning pout. From the corner of the blond's eye, he saw two guards -who had been preparing to come over- settle down, leaning back against the wall. In their hands were long, black rods. Stun rods.

"Fighting isn't allowed," the little girl whispered, eyes shifting towards the two guards, "if you do, they'll put you in the Box."

Sending one last sneer at the redhead, he focused his gaze on the little girl. "Box?"

"It's a place you should avoid at all cause," the whitette answered instead.

They fell into silence then. Finishing their breakfast with little interruption. Except for when Cloud began to coax the names out of each Subhuman. The small, nine year old girl was named; Shelke. He didn't want to, but he pitied the little girl. She was just so young! The bulky teen was called; Azul. The blue haired boy was friendly -enough- if not crude in language. Weiss, was the white haired teen, also the eldest, and selected leader of the small group. The quiet teen, who hadn't spoken a single word, was named; Nero. Though the dark haired teen sat on the other side of the table across from Cloud, he could feel the darkness radiating from off the teen. Lastly, the older girl beside him, Rosso, wasn't someone he saw himself liking in the future. Especially if she continued on with that nasty attitude.

Learning the names of his fellow Subhumans, he felt a bit more comfortable. But, after all the warnings and talks of boxes, with no friends but themselves... Cloud didn't think he was ready to leave his usual boring room.

"Time to go," Weiss mumbled, just as the doors to the room opened, revealing a pack of guards following behind Grim.

The little blond couldn't move any faster. Darting toward the familiar human in the room. Halting a few feet away from the brunet, the smile plastered across his face slowly dripped away.

"What's wrong, Grim?" He was scared to hear the answer, as his only friend looked back at him with an apologetic expression.

"Forgive me, Cloud. But you-" Whatever the brunet was going to say, was cut off by another voice.

"Now belong to me." A middle-aged man sporting graying black hair and a beard of the same color, came walking through the cluster of guards. A cocky grin framing his lips. "My name is Hollander and will from here on, be your bread and butter."

* * *

**A/N: I don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE the Tsviets! Something about them is just so badass to me :D :D :D**

**Well, things aren't looking for Cloud...and neither for Sephiroth. I made Vincent his brother, because most people make him his father. Though, they both look damn similar, they could pass as siblings or parent-son. Personally, I like them as brothers.**

**Oh! Don't be confused! Yes, I changed up a few things, family member-wise. Everything will be explained as you travel further into the story, so staple your panties on straight and get'em out of a twist.**

**CHOW**


	6. Misery's Company

**Chapter 6: Misery's Company**

* * *

Naked and trembling fiercer than leaves during a tornado, Cloud sat with his knees smashed tightly to his chest, back numb against the wall. His body...it hurt. The blond's limbs sported blotches of dark purples, violent reds, and weeping pinks. Fresh welts crisscrossed over his skin. Blood dried to scattered parts of his wounds. The guards- no, those _monsters_ had beat him, whipped him, tore at his flesh as if...as if he wasn't a being capable of emotion. As if he was a doll, something only made of air.

As if...he wasn't...human...

_Azures narrowed at the sheet of paper in his hand. "Why do I-" Cloud was struck across the face by his new caretaker; Hollander._

_"You are in no position to question me, Subhuman 136!" The scientist spat, waving two guards forward. "Now, speak the creed. I won't repeat myself again."_

_"My name is-" _

_He yelped as he was hit with bolts of electricity from one of the guard's rod. The graying raven reproached him, demanding he apologize for his disobedience. He wouldn't! He didn't do anything wrong. Why should he? Cloud's face was yanked upward by his locks, eyes meeting with the man he was quickly beginning to hate._

_"We can do this the hard way, 136, or you can do this ShinRa's way. Pick."_

_Balling his face into a nasty frown, the blond hissed, "My way." Face colliding with the ground, two words spoken by Hollander damned him._

_"Beat him."_

He whimpered at the memory. It had been his first day down here, here being; Deepground. He had _begged_ Grim to take him back to his room. Back to the one place that he was familiar enough with to be at ease. He promised the brunet he'd creased complaining and that he'd be good. More than good, he'd be the best behaving person in ShinRa!

_"Please, please, please!" Cloud had lost count on how many times he wailed the word. Hugging onto his brunet friend, he fought against the guards trying to pull him loose. "Don't let them take me, Grim! Please, don't let them!"_

_He saw the conflict in those dark wine eyes. The blond had foolishly hoped that the man would do something. He hoped with all his heart._

_"Cloud," maybe it was the lighting, but it looked as if the man's eyes were swelling with tears, "I'm so sorry. But...I can't, I tried..."_

_Wide azures expelled tears faster than they could appear. "No!" Hollering at the top of his lungs, he tried to keep the single hand still locked onto Grim's coat. "Sephiroth!" He found himself crying out suddenly. "Sephiroth! Help!"_

_The blond lost his grip on his only lifeline._

After heavily sedating him, he had been carried somewhere through the building. They were being taken somewhere, somewhere secret. Self-preservation had awaken his instincts. Red flags and alarms were going off wildly within him. At the dropping of his stomach, he knew that he and the others were heading down. The blond had thought they were already on the lower level, but he had been mistaken. There was a level even lower than low. It was hell, A.K.A: Deepground.

The darkness within him had burned through the drugs in his system, having gotten use to the tedious task. Coherent, Cloud took in his new surroundings with apprehension. Majority of the massive space was cut and shaped from pure stone and rocks. It looked like he was inside of a mountain. Steel flooring had been added. Their rooms, resembling a jail cell, had steel bars that locked them in. Caged like an animal.

After being assigned his room, clothing, and _new name_. He was instructed to learn the rules, schedule, and creed given to all Subhumans there. That had been another devastating discovery for Cloud. Almost one hundred Subhumans resided in Deepground. Apparently, his five new friends -though he used the term loosely- had been somewhat new to Deepground as well. Living in the hell long enough to memorize the degrading rules and speak the creed by heart.

Cloud wouldn't utter a single word of the pledge after reading it. They couldn't make him. But, they could beat him. Which they did and took pleasure -it seemed- in doing so. He would not speak the pledge and he would not acknowledge the numeric name given to him. The blond had a name. A name that was whispered into his ears by his dying mother. He would not be recognized by anything other than his birth name.

_"What is your name?" The guard in charge of his punishment growled._

_Wrist chained to a post, "Cloud," he whispered through cracked lips. Eyes swollen from tears that no longer flowed. The little blond had turned his tear glands into deserts, while screaming his throat raw. Kneeling before the wooden post, muscles tensed for the whip that would burn his skin apart._

_WHAP!_

_Jaw dropping in a voiceless scream, he dug his fingernails into the wood._

_"What is your name?!"_

_Terrified to speak, he did so anyway. He would not become a number. He was a person, a human! Just a different kind._

_"...Cl-Cloud..."_

_WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!_

_This time Cloud found his voice, his hoarse scream resounding through the rock mixed steel area._

Alone.

All alone.

Lonely.

So lonely.

So very lonely and all alone in this cold room. Isolated. Deprived of food, water, and nutrients. How long has it been? Three days? Or, was it three weeks? Unlike regular humans, he could go a month without food and water. A simple month, no longer than that.

Whimpers left his painfully cracked lips as he shifted. His bottom throbbing from sitting for too long.

Cloud had thought things couldn't get anymore worse. Of course, when one thought such a thing, worse would jump out just to prove that person wrong. Showing the one who dared think they could predict good luck verses bad, that it was the one and only controller.

He had went somewhere he never wanted to visit again. The Box. His head throbbed just thinking about the torture he went through. Memories foggy when he thought back to that day, he could only vividly remember the suffering. Hours of harsh torment of his mind. A screeching sound through his skull, that rivaled and demolished any competition.

The little blond did recall being dragged, yanked, and snatched by his legs on his way to the Box. A tight room made of complete steel. Cold. Dark. Frightening. Embarrassingly, the blond had wet himself. Nothing had ever horrified him more so, than that single mental oppressing room.

It felt as if his brain was being fried and would spill from out his ears. What came out instead was his crimson life force. Blood. The power had been turned up to it's highest level. Why? Because he was a 5th Level Subhuman. In the short-sighted eyes of the people around him, he was strong enough to handle the grueling punishment.

Obviously, passing out in his own blood pooling around him, wasn't him _handling_ it.

Three days he had been out of it. The roaring headache had the young preteen fainting again. Sleeping for another two days.

All this in under three months!

Forcing his battered body toward the poor excuse of a bed. Cloud crawled onto the mattress, curling around the blankets. "Seph..." He softly bemoaned. Doing his best to fight off the chill conquering his cell by balling himself up. The blond winced and whined at wounds reopening.

His inner darkness boiled and built. It wasn't submissive and was far from giving in. In fact, it wanted blood! Death! The shadows sung to his spirit, wishing to be commanded and used for its one true purpose. To destroy. With each passing day, the song became robust in strength, and the darkness sounding more clear. More natural to him. Logical. Right.

No! It wasn't right though. The sweetened voice was Madness in disguise. Waiting to sink its black, venomous claws into him. Into his sanity too guarded for it to reach itself. He promised the silver haired teen he would fight it. So, that's what he'd do. Will weak and hope fading, Cloud would still fight.

But...for how long...?

Every night, he cried for the silverette to save him. Each pleading sob met with nothing. Emptiness. Silence. No Sephiroth came running to rescue him. How could the teen?! The lying, no good, backstabber was busy becoming ShinRa's loyal bitch! That piece of trash! Whore! Bastard! Freak of nature! Stupid little-

Cloud gasped, clutching at his head. "Go away!" He wailed at the darkness corrupting his mind. "I didn't mean it, Seph... I didn't mean it..." The blond found himself chuckling abruptly. The sound of his own voice giving him goose bumps. "_**Sephi-Roth**_," sung the sinister voice, "_**I can't wait to feel your insides all over me**_!"

Yes. The taste of those sweet tears. Oh how the sight of that beautiful face tight in fear would excite him! That maturing voice screaming. Yes.

"No!"

Yes!

"No! No! No!" Banging his head twice against the rocky wall beside him. "Seph...I can't fight it!"

"_**Fight it? Who me?**_" The sinister voice questioned through the blond's mouth.

"Go away! You're nothing but Madness!"

"_**Me? Madness?!**_" The voice continued to taunt the emotionally shattering blond. "_**You're the one talking to yourself**_."

"Am not, I'm talking to you! Leave me the hell alone!" Cloud yelled, impulsively punching himself in the mouth. Seconds later palming his busted lip.

"_**How can Seph love me, but hate the part that makes up majority of what I am?**_"

"Shut up! He doesn't know you and never will!"

"_**Pity. I know he loves me though.**_"

"Does not, he loves me!"

"_**Isn't that what I said?**_"

"You and me are different! We're two different people, I belong, you don't."

"_**Spoken like a person truly insane,**_" the sinister voice snickered, "_**I couldn't have said it better.**_"

Why wouldn't it go away? Why! Why? Why!?

Before he could stop himself, he was shouting curses. Words that would have gotten him in serious trouble. He didn't care at the moment. Screaming. Crying. Cursing. He wanted that _thing_ to leave. To stop talking through him! To go away!

"What in Gaia's name is wrong with you, 136?!" A familiar guard shouted, storming into the cell with his stun rod raised.

The shadows purred, coaxing the blond to kill the unsuspecting guard. ShinRa hadn't discovered his power yet. In all honesty, he could murder every last one of the workers. SOLDIERs to the higher ups on the top floor. Quick and clean, or, slow and messy.

Shoving the murderous thoughts away, azures stared back at the dark eyed guard. "I'm afraid of the dark..."

"Are you serious," the man looked close to blowing up. The blond only nodded. "Well, that's just too bad." The guard sneered, slamming the steel bar door shut. "Be quiet, you inconsiderate stain, your fellow waste of space are trying to sleep." With a warning glare, the man departed.

Laying back down, feeling drained all of a sudden.

"Sephiroth..." Cloud whispered brokenly, closing his eyes to his hell.

* * *

3rd Class SOLDIER.

Sephiroth had made it! Still getting use to the extra mako channeling through his system, he adjusted his new uniform. He wasn't fond of the color purple, but at least it was dark in hue. Technically, he was still suppose to be a cadet, but the chance to take the SOLDIER exams early presented itself. Taking the earlier test meant you only had one try. Fail once and you could never try again. The test was only for those skilled enough, with the confidence to boot. The silverette was ready. After gaining in size and improving in skill, he had all but jumped at the offer.

Those who passed along with him was Angeal and Genesis. Unsurprisingly. Together, they had been making waves. They were called prodigies. Those who had childishly mocked the silverette could no longer do so. He had accomplished what they said he could not. The teen had no plans on staying a 3rd Class for long either. Unfortunately, there was no early exams to test out of his current Class. He'd have to wait a full year.

Cloud...

The day of the celebration, Sephiroth had went to see his little friend. Only to be told that the blond was sick. When questioned, they told him one of the nurses had forgotten to give the boy his shot of Reanimate. He was pissed. Demanding to see the blond, he had been continuous denied, until security escorted him back to his quarters. The following week, he went to visit Cloud again. He didn't meet the boy face-to-face, but had looked upon the form of the blond from behind the observation window. Covers had shielded the other's body completely.

The little blond was resting, trying to get use to a new dosage of Reanimate. He wanted to lay next to the boy, but had been told he and Cloud had to keep their distance. They said it was for the boy's health, mentally and emotionally. Sephiroth was told to say away, until they called and gave him the okay.

That had been three months ago.

Though, the silverette had been busy with class and learning advance sword styles, he still waited for that phone call. Going so far as to buy his own PHS, which wasn't cheap! And giving his number to the USE department to call him. He couldn't see Cloud, he understood that. But, they could at least give him updates.

Nothing was given to him! Not a single line of information letting him know if the blond was healthy. Breathing. Alive!

Fed up with all, Sephiroth knew who exactly to go to.

Cutting lunch, he went straight to the USE department. Glowing chartreuse slicing through the workers trying to stop him, he headed toward the office down the hall. Without knocking, he opened the door, sparing the brunet sitting behind the desk a seconds worth glance.

"Where is he?" Sephiroth demanded. He had his mother's intelligence and wouldn't be fooled any longer.

"Sephi-"

"Where. Is. He?"

The familiar wine eyes, darker than his brother's, gazed at him cheerlessly. "Have a seat," sighing, Grimoire stood to pour a glass of scotch. "Cloud was taken from my care and placed in a center for his kind. There, he will learn to control himself, his powers, and the insanity plaguing him."

"Why would they take him from you? I thought you were in charge of his case?" Sitting forward in the comfortable chair, he watched the older man like a hawk.

"I was in charge of his emotional and mental evaluation," Grim corrected. "I watched over his essential nature, easing his damaged psyche, that we call; Madness." Downing the warm liquid, "Being a 5th Level, there is a twenty-to-eighty percent chance that he'll fall to Madness. The eighty percent being his risk of falling."

The silver haired teen swallowed the newly received info. It was hard to get down his throat. "So...you're saying that, because he's a 5th Level...there's no way to save him?" He failed to keep the emotion from his voice, but the thought of losing his blond friend was too much.

"There is, which is why he was taken from my care." The short haired brunet exhaled deeply, "I know how deeply you care for the child, Sephiroth," pouring another glass of scotch, "which is why I chose to keep this off the record. Cloud is struggling with the highest case of schizophrenia I've ever witnessed in a Subhuman. How the boy's been able to evade falling to insanity is nothing short of a miracle!"

The teen felt as if he was punched in the heart. Another feeling hit him next. A feeling that made him feel guilty. Fear. At anytime while sleeping next to Cloud, the blond could have snapped and killed him without a care. Having trained to become a top-notch fighter, his newly gained inner warrior rebuked him for lowering his ground around the enemy.

Enemy? What on Gaia was he thinking! Cloud wasn't the enemy, he was his friend.

"Why would you keep something like this off any documentation? You could be fired!" To ShinRa being fired was the same as killing. The wine eyed man knew too much, so death was his only option.

"Because he would have been immediately euthanized," Grim answered bluntly, "Cloud is worth more to them alive, but if he proves to be too dangerous, he'll still be worth something dead."

Trying to settle his racing heart, Sephiroth nodded. "This place," he muttered, "this place will help him?"

"Subhumans that go in, come back out free from their Madness," the answer wasn't what the teen wanted. But, it was at least something.

"Sephiroth-"

"When will I be able to see him again?" He knew the little blond must have been scared out of his mind. How could he wait so long to find this out?! What if the blond was waiting for him? Waiting to say goodbye? Waiting for the teen to get the last bits of comfort and encouragement before he left? Why did he try harder to find the blond!? What if he never say the smaller boy again?

"That all depends on Cloud."

Fighting back the string of questions he wanted to ask, Sephiroth slouched back into his seat. Biting down on his pointer finger's knuckle. This was even more reason for him to hurry up the SOLDIER ladder. He needed power. With power he would have control and with control, he would have fear. Fear brought him respect. Respect allowed him alliances. He needed the highest position of them all. The silver haired need the top of all seats.

General of SOLDIER.

"I talked to your mother," Grim's words snapped him out of his planning.

Scoffing, "So what."

"She misses you," it was definitely time to leave, "you've been here for almost a year now, and you haven't gone to visit her _once_."

Snapping to a stand, he narrowed glowing orbs at the brunet. "Have a nice day," pivoting stiffly, he made his way toward the door.

"I know my daughter tends to think more with her mind, than with her heart. But she's been that way since a child." The older man rose from his own chair. "You have to understand, Sephiroth, when she lost your father, she lost a major piece of herself too."

Clenching his teeth, he balled his fist to keep from striking out at something. "She mustn't have been too broken up about it, since she spread her legs like a whore for the first man to touch her cheek."

"Boy! She is your _mother_, you will not talk about her in such a demeaning way!" Grim snapped. "SOLDIER or not, you will have respect."

"That's all you people talk about!" Turning to glower at his grandfather, "Respect this! Respect that! What about my respect, huh, where's that at? What about my father's respect? His honor? His dying wish that _my mother_ promised she'd follow! What about that?!"

"Why do you hate her so much? What has she done to wound you so, Sephiroth?"

His eyes burned. Ridiculous! He wasn't going to stand here and wail like some pitiful infant, waiting for its mother's tit. "She knows what she did, as do you, Vincent, and that bastard!" Yanking the office's door open, he glance over his shoulder, "Tell that woman, I _saw_ her. I know her dirty secret and to stay the hell away from me."

"Sephiroth!"

The teen slammed the door behind him. Moving briskly through the department, he headed back to room. Making a pit stop at the bathroom. Standing before a mirror, he scowled at the person on the other side. The person was crying. Pathetic! Foolish! Weak!

"You don't need them, you goddamn fool! Just keep your head in the game and get Cloud back." The silverette told the silver haired reflection.

Watching the person nod, he left the bathroom.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, we're in the gloomy realm! Prepare to vacation here for a while, cookies!**

**As you can see, I added Zack to the pairing thingy-thing, because he will now have a starring role in this story :) :) :) What role he'll play? Well, you'll see as the story goes on.**

**CHOW**


End file.
